


Doe-eyed Boy

by poly_pr1nce



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic, Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Addiction, Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Drug Addiction, Eating Disorders, F/F, F/M, Gay Panic, M/M, Multi, Panic Attacks, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Triggers, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2020-03-07 02:13:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 53,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18863650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poly_pr1nce/pseuds/poly_pr1nce
Summary: This is a crossover between All for the game (aftg) and The Captive Prince  (tcp).Nicaise Doe is a freshman at PSU, Neil's in his final year, and a lot of Stuff happens.





	1. Prologue; A new Fox.

**Author's Note:**

> TW for:  
> Addiction mentions / implications  
> Implied/ mentioned eating disorders  
> Underage Nicaise hitting on Neil

  
Neil groaned, moving his arm off his face as he pushed himself to sit up. Wymack's couch hadn't gotten any softer or more comfortable over the last four years, and the man still refused to get a new one, no matter how much Nicky had begged him to. The last few times, Wymack had said Nicky shouldn't care about his sofa when Erik's would be much more comfortable and Nicky ought to be thinking about that, since he'd be going back to Germany in a few weeks.   
And Coach had been right; as soon as the school year had ended and he had graduated, Nicky had packed up and gone to the airport, warning his cousins he wasn't afraid to mass text them if they ignored him, before catching the first flight back to Germany.   
Aaron and Katlyn had decided to go on a road trip over the summer before they started medschool in the new term, and had left shortly after Nicky. That had left Andrew, Kevin and Neil in the Cousins' house in Colombia for a few more weeks. But eventually Neil had woken up to Andrew's and Kevin's bags being packed and thrown in the back of the Masaratti.  
"Don't get killed while I'm not here," Andrew had growled and Neil had promised he wouldn't, before Andrew had pressed another car key into Neil's palm, except this one clearly wasn't for the Masaratti.  
"There was still life insurance money left over," Andrew had said with a shrug as he'd walked towards his car. "Don't crash and burn, Rabbit."  
Neil had watched as the Masaratti reversed out of the drive, turned in the street and then sped away. Once it was out of sight, Neil had went into the garage, smiling when he had seen a gleaming black car sitting there. Inside there was a stuffed orange fox in the driver's seat, with **'178%'** scribbled on it's snout in permanent marker.   
Neil had taken a picture of the car and sent it to Matt with a simple _"Look what Andrew bought me"_ , before he'd locked it again and went back inside the house. He didn't know shit about cars, but he knew it was expensive, so assumed Matt would know everything about it.  
Maybe Andrew had given him the car because he'd known Neil would run otherwise. That night Neil had driven over to Wymack's, letting himself in. The man had glanced over from the TV long enough to see Neil's duffel bag and expression before he'd taken a key out of his pocket and held it out to Neil.  
"You know where the office is," was all he grumbled before turning his attention back to the TV. Neil had put his duffel bag in the bottom drawer of Wymack's desk, locking it and putting the key back on his keyring before going back and collapsing onto the couch next to the man.  
That had been almost two weeks ago, and Neil hadn't gone back to the Cousins' house since and Wymack hadn't asked any questions. Maybe he already knew the answers.   
Despite having slept on the bumpy sofa for a fortnight, Neil still wasn't used to being woken up by the coffee machine before six in the morning. Wymack had banned him from going on runs at "ridiculous" times in the morning over break, so Neil had been trying to get more sleep instead, trying to take Wymack's advice to get some rest while he could.  
Apparently they had different definitions of what counted as resting.  
Neil sighed, standing up and stretching. The day before, Wymack had been gone before lunch time with a warning for Neil not to wait up for him and not to do anything stupid in his absence.  He still hadn't been back by the time Neil had fallen asleep.  
"Do you really have to do that at six in the morning?" Neil called as he padded through to the kitchen, scrubbing his hands over his face to try and wake himself up.   
"Welcome back to the land of the living, Josten," Wymack grumbled. "And it's eight, not six."  
Neil frowned, opening his mouth to ask why Wymack hadn't woken him up earlier, but froze when he saw something out the corner of his eye. When he looked over at the kitchen table, there was a boy sitting in the seat closest to the wall, a backpack at his feet. His hair was a mix of brown and gold shades, looking like honey and the treacle stuff Andrew had ate out the jar just to piss Kevin off. He wasn't exactly pale, but wasnt tanned or dark-skinned either; it was as if his skin just had a dusting of colour over it, making it look almost the same colour as the latte drink Nicky always got. He had a few piercings in both ears, along the cartrilidge and flesh areas. His lips were also pierced - two hoops in his lower lip and a stud in the center just above his top lip, which matched a hoop he had through his septum.   
  But it was his eyes Neil couldn't look away from. They were blue - but looked like someone had painted them on glass. Even from across the room, Neil could make out at least three different shades, and the outer ring of the iris was another again. There were streaks of sky blue and flecks of darker blues, with hues of sea blues mixed in. They looked unreal and reminded Neil of the baby dolls that were in stores and advertised on TV. Or of Japanese cartoons Allison and Matt had forced him to watch over the years. Even the boy's eyelashes looked too perfect, too dark, too thick and long to be real - Allison would probably kill for hers to look like that without makeup.   
"See somethin' you like, Captain?"  
The boy's voice broke Neil out of his trance and he jumped slightly, which made the boy smirk. Neil watched as he stood up, walking slowly across the room. Something about his gait and the way he carried himself made Neil think of wolves circling a weak animal, or sharks circling their prey. Or vultures circling an animal they thought was dead. He bristled, stomach flipping slightly.  
"It's alright if you do," the boy said, head tilted and eyes looking up at Neil like they already knew and trusted each other. "I won't tell your boyfriend," he said as he ran his fingers over Neil's cheek, over one of his scars, leaning in to whisper in Neil's ear, lips and breath tickling his skin. "I'm good with secrets."  
"Paws off, kid." Wymack sounded bored, like he was commenting on the weather. He didn't turn around from making his coffee as he spoke. "He's not on the menu."  
The boy pouted, giving Neil a pointedly slow up-and-down as he bit his lip. "But Coach," he whined, and Neil decided his accent was either New York or Chicago. "I'm starvin'."  
"So get some real food."  
The boy sighed, giving Neil another once-over before turning around and skulking back to the table. Neil frowned at the back of his neck.   
"Why do you have a barcode on your neck?"  
The boy perched on the table, looking at Neil again. "Why do you have scars on your face?" he countered before grinning. "I've got other tattoos, too. You wanna see them?" As he spoke he lifted the hem of his tshirt, which was white and thin enough it was almost transparent.  
"As much of a kick as I'm sure you'd get from that," Wymack cut in with a pointed glare at the boy. "Im sick of listening to this conversation, so wrap it up. Josten, go fetch Abby and Bee - I want this kid checked over today. Doe, either hit the shower or take an ice bath."  
_Doe._   
Neil stared at the boy who was now pouting at Wymack. He made a sound like a kicked puppy, but hopped off the table and sauntered towards the doorway. Even though there was enough room for him to pass Neil without making contact, the boy bumped into Neil's side, their arms and chests knocking against each other.  
"Careful, Captain," the boy said and when Neil turned to him, the boy's face was inches away from his. Neil flinched back when the boy bit the air in front of his face, close enough he could smell the chocolate on his breath.  
The boy laughed, walking away. Neil stayed frozen and silent until he heard the bathroom door close and the shower cut on.   
He turned to Wymack, who was leaning against the counter with a slightly bemused expression on his face.  
Neil wanted to ask about the kid's attitude problem. He wanted to know what his deal was. But all that came out was, "Doe?"  
Wymack sighed. "I'll explain later. Now go get Abby and Bee."  
Neil nodded, not needing told a third time. He could've sworn he heard the boy laughing through the bathroom door as he walked past, leaving the apartment and hurrying down to the elevator.   
His car was still where he'd left it outside, and he pulled away before he'd gotten his seat belt on.   
When he got to Abby's he didn't bother parking, just pulled up to the kerb and hurried over to the door, letting himself in.  
"Abby?"  
"Neil? I didn't think I'd get to see you this summer," she said as she walked out the kitchen. "The others are just through there if-"  
"Wymack needs you," Neil cut it and Abby frowned. "He's got a new fox and wants you and Bee to give him a check up today."  
"Is it urgent?"   
"I think so," Neil hedged. Abby nodded,  walking into the living room.   
"Jack, I'm going over to Wymack's for a while. You're in charge of everyone and this place until I get back."  
Neil heard Jack answer and then Abby was walking towards him and they went out the door.   
"Which way is it to Bee's?" Neil asked. Even though he'd lived with Andrew for the last few years, he still didn't know where the woman lived. Abby directed him, and when he pulled up outside she went into the house, coming out a minute or two later with Bee in tow.   
"Neil, you can drive me, and Betsy will bring her car so you won't have to drive us back later," Abby said as she got back into the passenger seat. Neil waited for Bee to flash him out before pulling away, driving back to Wymack's with the yellow car tailing.  
"What do you think of this new recruit?" Bee asked him as they headed towards the building.  
Neil shrugged.  "He seems... high. Or manic. I'm not sure."  He frowned, thinking of how the boy had behaved. "And like he expects people to react a certain way to him. I don't know how to explain it. But something feels...off."  
"Off how?"  
Neil squinted, trying to think of a comparison. "The first time I met Allison, she practically sat on my lap just to get a reaction out of Seth. The kid is like that version of Allison combined with Andrew when he was still on his meds." He paused, waiting for Bee to say something, but she didn't.  "Off like that."  
"Do you think he's putting on an act?"  
"I'm not sure."  
Bee nodded and the elevator doors closed. "What's his name?"  
"Neither of them told me. But he's a foster kid."  
"How do you know?"   
"His surname is Doe," Neil said and Abby sighed while Bee nodded again, pursing her lips.  When they got to the apartment, Neil opened the door.  
"But it's too hot for clothes," the boy groaned and Wymack huffed.  
"Maybe if you had taken a cold shower you wouldn't be sweating buckets."  
"Where's the fun in that?"  
Neil stopped at the doorway to the living room where Wymack was leaning against the wall, glaring at the boy who was now flaked out on his sofa in his underwear. Wymack turned when he hard Abby and Bee in the hall, and didn't bother looking surprised that Neil was staring at the boy again.  
He had been about to walk away when something on the boy's torso caught his eye and he had to look again to see what it was.   
The boy had his collarbones pierced, one stud on each side, and a thin black line tattooed around the base of his neck. Both of his wrists were tattooed, each with a four letter word Neil couldn't make out from across the room, but it looked like they were both framed with some sort of matching spiral mark on each side. There was an intricate design around his belly button, which was also pierced. But what grabbed Neil's attention the most were the two skeleton hands tattooed on the boy's hips, positioned in a way that made it look like a skeleton had grabbed him from behind. Their design made Neil think of the way people decorated themselves for Mardi Gras, somehow.  
"Considerin' you said he's off the menu," the boy drawled. "He's got a hell of a starin' habit."   
Neil blinked, looking back up to the boy's face, only to see he was grinning at him now. His canines looked like fangs and Neil couldn't decide if they were real or fake.   
"Fuck off." It was out Neil's mouth before he could stop it. The boy laughed, and Wymack sighed, looking to Abby and Bee.   
"Have fun," was all he said before ushering Neil into the kitchen.   
"Aw, no sexy nurse uniform?" the boy whined and Neil frowned.   
"Those are very interesting tattoos," Bee's voice said and the boy laughed again.   
"You're the shrink, aren't you?"  
Wymack groaned, sitting down at the table. After a few seconds, Neil done the same, taking his phone out and texting Allison a description of the boy's piercings to try and find out what they were called. He'd seen them before, but never all together.  
After a few minutes, Allison sent him a diagram of all the different piercings someone could get, along with arrows and their names. Neil scrolled through it, matching each one the boy had.  
Snakebites, a medusa, septum and dermals, he figured. He'd noticed a few studs and hoops in the boy's ears but couldn't be sure which ones they were since there were so many on the diagram.   
When Neil put his phone down on the table, Wymack was watching him. Waiting. They both knew Neil wouldn't be able to stay quiet for long.  
"What's his deal?" he eventually asked and Wymack sat back in his seat.  
"Went into the system as a kid, got scooped up pretty fast by one family, stayed there for a few years before getting sent back, then he bounced around group homes, halfway houses and foster families. Ran away a few times, too. Then he wound up in juvie a few months back. I got a call saying to check him out and see if I could get it arranged for him to stay with us once he got let out, since they couldn't hold him past his sentence unless he got done for another term. But he's not eighteen until November, so we'll get hit with a mountain of paperwork until then. And we'll have to decide who's responsible for him until then."  
Neil nodded, processing Wymack's words.  
"Why did you want him checked out so soon?"  
"He's scrawny. I need to know if there's any chance of an eating disorder. And you saw how he was earlier - that's how he's been with everyone I've seen him with." The man shook his head. "Kid's all sorts of messed up - I just need told which ones need focused on and which ones to watch out for."  
Neil nodded and they fell into silence.

 

An hour later, Bee and Abby came through to the kitchen with the boy on their heels, still in his underwear.  
"What's the verdict?" Wymack asked, eyeing the boy as he waltzed over to the freezer, kneeling to get the ice cream out the drawer.  
"He's underweight," Abbey said slowly. "For now. I'll check him every few days, but I should be able to get his weight up to where you need it for the start of the season."  
"Dobson?" Wymack asked. Neil barley heard him. He'd noticed two more tattoos on the boy's back - _"Asking for it"_ was printed vertically down his spine, and he had some sort of intricate border around _"Make Me"_ at the base of his spine, only visible because his boxers were sitting so low. What had Nicky called those tattoos people got there? Some sort of stamp.   
"He's clean from narcotics and alcohol," Bee said, and Neil looked over to her so the boy wouldn't catch him staring for a third time. "But I think he's on something else. I'll have to monitor him for a while."  
Wymack nodded, sighing as he looked at the boy who was now leaning against the freezer and looking at them all with at quirked eyebrow.  
"Take the ice cream with you," Wymack said to him. "You're staying with Abby until they're both convinced you're up to scratch."  
"Aye aye, Coach," he said and carried the tub through to the living room.  
"One more thing," Bee said. "When the school year starts up, I think it would be best if these two room together." She gestured between Neil and the space the boy had just been in.   
Wymack nodded, gesturing vaguely and then everyone was looking at Neil.   
Even though his skin crawled at the idea of the boy sharing his dorm, he didn't have a lot of viable reasons to decline.  
"Fine," he said. Wymack groaned and Abbey shook her head, smiling faintly.  
The boy walked out of the living room wearing ripped skinny jeans and canvas shoes, backpack swung over one shoulder, ice cream and spoon in hand. "Whenever you're ready, Doc," he said. Abby and Bee said goodbye, and lead him out of the apartment.  
"What does Bee think he's addicted to?" Neil asked once the door shut behind them.  
Wymack rubbed his temples.  "Attention, sex, porn, pain, punishment... who knows. There's a lot of other drugs than just pills, dust and drinks."  
Neil fell silent, thinking.   
"What's his name?" he asked after a while of sitting in silence.  
"Nicaise," Wymack said. "Nicaise Doe."


	2. Chapter One; Fox Den

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicaise meets the rest of the team, and things get interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW FOR:  
> Under 18 sex   
> Flashbacks   
>  PTSD   
> Implied / stated csa  
> Blood   
> Needles  
> Medical stuff?  
> Casual sex  
> Addiction issues  
> Violence ?  
> Contemplated violence against women?  
> Implied sexual threat?

"Can I go in the back, please?" Nicaise asked sweetly and Winifield looked up at him.  
"Of course," she said slowly before pushing the seat forward again and he climbed in the back beside her.   
"Thanks," he said, dropping his backpack on the floor between his feet and reaching for the seatbelt. "Is it gonna be weird? Me stayin' with you," he clarified at the woman's confused expression and she shook her head.  
"Not at all. Most of the Foxes usually stay with me over the summer if they have nowhere else to go."  
"Holidays, too," Dobson piped up from the front, looking at Nicaise in the rear view mirror as she began driving. "If going back somewhere isn't an option, you're more than welcome at Abby's when the dorms are closed."  
Nicaise shrugged. "That guy got me from juvie, and it was just foster homes before that so there's nowhere for me to go back to even if I wanted to."  
"Then you're staying with me or David whenever you can't stay on college grounds," Abby said decisively.  
"David?" Nicaise tilted his head. "I thought the redhead was Neil."  
"David Wymack," she clarified. "Your Coach. Neil's the Captain - as you know."  
Nicaise nodded understanding, glancing between the two women. Neither of them were his type - Winifield looked like like a strung-out secretary who had ate a few too many candy bars, and Dobson was too close to resembling one of his foster mothers who had made it clear he wasn't good enough for her. But still. They'd both be hot in lingerie - especially high-end corsets and sheer materials.  
Wymack was hotter, though. Still not Nicaise's type, per say, but close enough. The man was buff and built as all fuck. And had tattoos. And his voice was gruff as hell; Nicaise could only imagine how it would sound when he groaned or barked orders...  
"Is it always this warm here?" he asked, realising a beat later he'd cut off whatever conversation the women had been having. Whatever. It probably hadn't been important anyway.  
"It'll get warmer," Winifield said with a laugh. "A lot warmer. But it'll cool down in a few months."  
"Great," Nicaise muttered. "Am I gonna turn cold blooded or somethin' to survive?"  
"You're not used to heat like this, are you?" Dobson asked and Nicaise laughed.  
"Is it that obvious? I was done with this heat as soon as I got off the plane here."  
Dobson smiled and Nicaise forced himself not to react to how similar it was to someone else's, how similar she looked to the woman who had-  
"Where are you from?" Dobson's voice asked.  
"Born in Chicago," Nicaise heard himself say. "Stayed there til I was ten, then moved to New York City. Been there ever since."  
"When did you go into foster care?"   
Nicaise pushed down the urge to growl or spit in her face, to scream, to try to get out the car, to grab her seatbelt and choke her from behind, to scruff Winifield and scream for Dobson to pull over or he'd snap her neck.  
"I was seven, I think," he said instead, trying to ignore the memories that threatened to come back. His birth parents. _All the smoke-_ , "I stayed at the halfway house for a few weeks before a family came to get me." _The screaming -,_ "They were amazin'. I stayed with them for four years. When I was ten they had to move to New York City for work, and they had all the paperwork to take me along, so they did." _The crying - fuck, the crying-,_ "They changed their minds when I was twelve, but goin' back to Chicago was too much work and hassle, especially when I'd been with them for so long with no issues, so they put me in New York's system instead."  
"It sounds like you've had a very interesting life so far," Dobson commented.   
_'Interesting'_. _Interesting_ was what Laurent used to say when he saw Nicaise's newest hickies and bruises. _Interesting_ was what people called his tattoos. _Interesting_ was what Reg had said Nicaise was right before he-  
"Yeah, I guess," Nicaise said. "That's one way of putting it."  
...  
They pulled up outside a house that looked almost identical to all the others on the street, save for the fact the front door was a burnt orange colour and the front steps were painted orange and white.  
"Please tell me you did not pay someone to do that," Nicaise said and Winifield laughed when she saw him looking at the DIY paintjob.   
"I didn't even ask for it - Nicky done it as a goodbye present when he graduated at the end of the year."  
"Was he high?"  
"Only in spirits," she said with a smile, leading the way up the path, with Dobson tailing them.  
"Drunk, then," Nicaise surmised and Abby grinned over her shoulder at him before opening the door. Almost instantly Nicaise was met with the onslaught of a TV turned up far too loud and the sounds of people shouting to each other in separate rooms.  
Winifield shook her head, muttering as she headed for the first room on the right. Within seconds the volume on the TV went down, and then she was crossing the hallway to a room on the left.   
Glancing at Dobson as she shut the front door, Nicaise headed for the room on the right since he could still hear people talking in there, whereas in the room on the left there was only Winifield's voice as she chewed someone out. A guy, if the spluttered reply was anything to go by.  
The room turned out to be a den of sorts, with a large TV and two sofas, a coffee table and a shit load of books on shelves on the walls. Both sofas were full of people, and there were still a few on the floor - a quick headcount came up with twelve people across the sofas, and at least another three on the floor, along with the one or possibly two others in the room Winifield had gone into. Adding in Josten and himself, Nicaise counted it as at least eighteen people on the team. Assuming all the people in the den were Foxes.  
One of the girls glanced over at the doorway, pausing midsentence when she saw Nicaise standing there. Within seconds the room was silent and all eyes were on him.  
"You're the new cub Abby had to check over," the first girl said and Nicaise quirked an eyebrow.  
"Amazin' deduction skills, Watson. What's next? That I've got tattoos?"  
The Watson girl flipped him off and he smirked.   
"Why'd Coach want you checked over early?" one of the guys asked. He looked a little older, maybe a year or two above Nicaise. "No one else gets physicals done until the start of term. What's wrong with you?"  
Nicaise shrugged lazily. "He thought I was high and didn't believe me when I said I wasn't. Guess he's not met many New Yorkers."  
Apparently that was enough of an explanation for the guy, who snorted and turned to one of the others, apparently uninterested in Nicaise now that he knew he wasn't going to collapse or puke at any given time.   
"Does anyone care which room I put my stuff in?" he asked before anyone else could say anything.   
"Depends which way you swing," one of the other guys said and Nicaise rolled his eyes.  
"Both ways."  
"You can stay in my room, then," another girl cut in. She got up from the sofa, quickly making her way across the room to him. "And I'll give you a tour on the way up," she said as she passed him.  
The look the other guys gave each other as Nicaise turned around said everything he needed to know about the girl.   
"That's the kitchen," she said, pointing at the room on the left. "And it attaches to the dining room. Then there's a spare bathroom down that way." Another point towards the hallway as she lead him up the stairs instead.  
"Usually boys room with boys here," she went on, looking over her shoulder at him. "But I think we can make an exception this time."  
"How generous of you, Doll," Nicaise said and she giggled.  
"Doll? I thought people from New York only said that in movies."  
Nicaise shrugged even though she didn't see it, following her up the hall, passing door after door. "There's a lot of real stuff in movies," he said, half to himself. "You just need to know how to notice it."  
"Cryptic," the girl said with a grin as she opened the last door, gesturing for Nicaise to go in the room first. "You gonna tell me what that means?"  
"Do I have to?" Nicaise countered as he dropped his backpack on the floor and turned to face her. "Cause I'd rather do somethin' else."  
She smirked, shutting the door and leant against it. Nicaise stepped towards her, and then they were kissing, his hand in her hair and hers on his chest.  
"You got a name, Doll?" he asked against her lips, and she shook her head as she walked them back to one of the beds until Nicaise fell backwards onto it, pulling her along.  
"Not if it means you'll stop calling me Doll," she said and Nicaise bit her neck to stop himself from laughing. The Doll line was always fucking gold.  
"Fine by me, Doll," he muttered at the same time as pulling away to help her out of her tshirt.

The door slammed open a few minutes later, and Nicaise glanced over the girl's shoulder, not bothering to take his hand out her pants.   
"Why am I not fucking surprised." A guy was standing in the doorway, but Nicaise didn't recognise him so assumed he had been the one Winifield had been ripping into in the kitchen.   
"He's not even been here twenty minutes and you already fucking jumped him?"  
Nicaise groaned, resting his chin on the girl's shoulder as he looked at the guy.   
"What is it with this team and statin' the fuckin' obvious?" He held eye contact with the guy as he reached his free hand around the girl's back and undone her bra. "The way I see it, you've got two options right now; either join in, or fuck off. Cause we're busy."  
He bent his fingers and the girl moaned, arching against him as he looked at the guy in the doorway. After a few seconds, he scoffed and turned around, not bothering to close the door behind himself as he stormed down the hallway.  
"That your boyfriend?" Nicaise asked as he laid the girl on her back, tossing her bra on the floor for her to find later on.  
"We're on a break," she murmured and Nicaise laughed, taking his hand out of her pants, only to start pulling them down her legs.  
"You two could be engaged for all I care, Doll," he said as she kicked her jeans and pants off.  
"Classy," she said and Nicaise snorted, quickly undoing his jeans, wriggling out of them and his boxers before pulling the girl towards him, making her squeal.  
"I'm classy as fuck," he said into her ear and she laughed, cutting off into a moan within seconds.

 

Half an hour later, the girl was lying next to him on the bed, lazily tracing her fingers over his tattoos.  
"So what do these mean?" she murmured. "What's the story?"  
Typical. A quick shag and she thought she had every right to know the shit Nicaise had been through - every reason or meaning behind his tattoos.  
"The naval one was just somethin' I saw online and liked the look of," he lied.   
"What about these?" she asked, fingers trailing over the skeleton hands around his pelvis.  
"Got the idea from a music video, figured they looked cool." How many times had he said that line now? It almost felt like the truth - if it wasn't so fucking far off from it. Maybe in another reality it was the truth.  
"Edgy," she said and Nicaise hummed, swallowing the urge to punch her in the throat. If she had any fucking clue what even an inch of the ink on his body represented-  
"If you two are quite done, I'd like a word."   
They both rolled onto their sides, Nicaise craning his neck around the girl's shoulder to see where Winifield's voice had came from. She was standing in the doorway, arms folded across her chest.  
"Stephanie, put something on and get in the shower. I assume I'll have to find a morning-after pill for you to take." Even though the question was directed at the girl, Winifield was looking at Nicaise as she asked it. He tried not to react, but could feel his gaze getting darker as a smile started creeping it's way onto his face.  
"I'll take that as a yes," she said, before looking back to the girl who was sitting up and pulling on a large jumper that came past her thighs.  
"See ya 'round, Doll," Nicaise said and the girl - Stephanie- giggled again, looking at him over her shoulder as she stood up before she went out the door, passing Winifield without another word.  
The woman was silent and still until they both heard a door down the other end of the hallway open and close, followed by the sound of water cutting on.  
"Nicaise, get your clothes back on and pick your bag up. You're moving to Robin's room. Now," she added when he didn't move off the bed.   
Slowly, he sat up, pulling his boxers and jeans back on, really trying not to let himself react to her tone. But still, the smile was on his face when he stood and looked at her.  
"What's next, Doc?" Even he could hear how dark his tone sounded. Fuck. He couldn't lose it again, not after what had happened last-, "Gonna use my full name? Drag me out by my earlobe? Or lecture me 'bout havin' sex under your roof?"  
"Why on earth would I give you that satisfaction?" she countered and Nicaise bit back a laugh. Fuck. "I'm not delusional enough to think none of the others on the team sleep together when they stay here. However, they're all adults. You're not."  
"You're really gonna try that old one? I expected better, Doc."  
"That's your issue, not mine." Her tone was cold and this time Nicaise couldn't help but laugh.  
"Oh, Doc," he drawled as he stopped in front of her in the doorway. "I really don't give a fuck 'bout my age. No one does. And last I checked, the age of consent here is sixteen. So you can take your prudish bullshit and shove it back up your cu-"  
"Being old enough to consent does not make you a legal adult." With that, she gestured for Nicaise to walk out the bedroom first. He grinned wider but did so, turning to face her almost instantly.   
"What makes you think stayin' in Robin's room is gonna stop me sleepin' with the rest of the team?"   
She smiled tightly at him. "I have my reasons. Robin," she said, stepping to the side at the same time as turning slightly to look behind her. That was when Nicaise noticed the girl standing there, blue and purple hair up in a bun now rather than down, like it had been in the living room.  
"Watson," Nicaise said, letting himself sound surprised. "How nice of you to show up again. Got any more deductions?"  
"He's yours now," Winifield said to the Watson girl before walking back up the hallway and down the stairs.  
Scowling, the girl went up the hall, stopping outside a door a few metres away and pushing the door open, turning to look at Nicaise. "Are you coming or not?"  
"I mean, I was. 'Bout ten minutes ago now." He jabbed his thumb towards Stephanie's door. "You kinda missed it though."  
She pointed inside the room she was standing at. "Park your dick in there."  
Nicaise held his hands up in surrender, walking into her room and dropping his bag on the floor.  
"So what makes Winifield so sure stayin' in here is gonna make me keep my paws off the others?" he asked as he turned back around to look at the girl, giving her a pointed once-over. "Or off of you, even."  
She smiled coldly. "You're not going to touch me, because of two reasons. The first being that I'm not your type."  
"I can tell you you're wrong 'bout that one, right off." As he spoke, he stepped closer to her.  
"Oh? So you're into people who aren't into guys?" She tilted her head. "Odd. How the hell do you get laid with that logic?"  
Nicaise huffed a breath. "Gay or ace?"  
"Gay and aro."  
Shrugging, Nicaise took a few steps backwards, hands out to his sides, turning to look around the room as he spoke. "Fine," he said. "You're off limits. But that still doesn't answer why Winifield thinks the rest of the team are."  
Watson was silent for a few seconds. When she spoke, her voice was distant. "Do you still want to know what deductions I've got?"  
"Hit me with 'em," Nicaise chirped.  
"You use sex and your sexuality to get what you want. You always have. And you use it to manipulate people. You sleep around as a coping mechanism - you're addicted to sex."  
"Bravo," he laughed, pivoting on his heel to face her, head tilted. "But that's hardly impressive."  
"You were abused as a child." Her face was expressionless and her voice was still distant. Monotone. Like she was reciting a script she was bored of. "And you were ra-"  
Nicaise was across the room in a heartbeat, his hand over her mouth. It wasn't until a few seconds later he realised he had her pinned against the wall next to the open door.  
"Don't," he spat, "fuckin' finish that sentence."  
She bit his palm and he hissed, yanking it away.  
"But I thought you wanted to know how easy you are to read," she growled and Nicaise felt his gaze darkening again. She looked at him for a few seconds, face still expressionless. Then her hands were on his shoulders and he was on the floor, with her knee under his ribs and both thumbs pressing on his airway. Fuck.   
"From one foster kid to another," she hissed, "the wounds won't turn to scars until they heal. And they won't heal if you keep them open. You can cover them up all you want, but they're still there. And still fresh for anyone to see if they bother to look."   
She stood up, and Nicaise rolled over as he started coughing, trying to get his breath back.  
"And Nicaise." He looked up to see Robin had gone back to the doorway. "Get in the shower before coming downstairs. You're allergic to Steph's perfume."   
The door shut and Nicaise groaned, rolling onto his back. Fuck. Fuck fuck _fuck_.   
It wasn't until a few seconds later that her words sank in and Nicaise bolted up, looking around the room until he found a compact mirror on Robin's nightstand. Sure enough, there was some sort of rash starting on his shoulder and neck, where Stephanie's perfume had probably rubbed off onto his skin.  
He dropped the mirror, hurrying to the door, only to pause before turning the handle. Down the hall he heard the water cut off, and then the bathroom door opened a few seconds later. Soft footsteps went up the hall, passing his door and going to Stephanie's, before they disappeared inside her room.  
Exhaling, Nicaise opened Robin's door and went along to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind himself.   
As he stripped his jeans and boxers back off and stepped into the shower, he hoped Stephanie hadn't used up all of the hot water.

 

Ten minutes later, he dried himself off and went back up to Robin's room with the towel around his waist, leaning against the door for a second after he closed it. Sighing, he knelt down and opened his backpack, taking out the first pair of underwear and jeans he found, pulling them on before searching for the loosest top he had.   
Dressed, he closed his bag and dropped it up on what he assumed was now his bed for the foreseeable future. Robin didn't seem dumb enough to try going through it if she was in the room before he could find somewhere to keep the more valuable items.  
When he went downstairs, he could still hear voices in the den room, but there was rustling coming from the kitchen. Winifield was kneeling by the fridge-freezer when he walked in.  
"Hey, Doc?" he started quietly, and the woman looked over her shoulder at him. "Got any allergy stuff?"  
Frowning, she stood up and walked over to him, food apparently forgotten.  
"How bad is the reaction, and what did you ingest?"  
"It's just a rash - and I think it's from Stephanie's perfume," he muttered and she sighed, stopping in front of him.  
"Where is it?"  
"Just here." He gestured to his neck and shoulder, and Winifield pointed at the kitchen table.   
"Top off and sit."  
He did as he was told, holding his top on his lap as she examined the rash before she went over to a cabinet and took a first-aid kit out.  
"What other allergies do you have?" she asked as she placed the kit on the table, opening it up and looking through it.   
Nicaise shrugged. "Don't know. Not nuts or anythin' like that, though."  
"If you let me take your blood, I'll run an allergy test so we can know what to not let you near in the future."  
It wasn't a question, but Nicaise nodded anyway. The offer was clear enough.  
Winifield started putting some sort of paste on a cotton pad and walked behind Nicaise; a few seconds later he hissed when something cold touched the rash.   
"This will probably sting," the woman murmured and he huffed.  
"Could've said that a few seconds sooner," he muttered, and could hear the smile on her face when she answered.   
"Could've. But didn't."  
Nicaise rolled his eyes and fell silent as the woman continued putting the cold ointment on his skin. When she was done, she dropped the used cotton pads in the bin before getting more things out of the kit. Needles, syringes, a bit of cotton in a plastic wrapper, and a tourniquet.  
"Are you alright with blood?"  
 _Blood._ Blood had been running down Laurent's face the last time Nicaise had seen him. Blood had been all over both of their beds. Blood had been smeared all over Nicaise's hands. Blood had been on everything he could see. Blood had been dripping out of Reg's mou-  
"Yeah," Nicaise muttered. "Just get it over with."  
Winifield took both his arms, examining them and running her fingers over the veins on both before she started wrapping the belt around his right bicep. As soon as she tightened it Nicaise remembered the feeling of Reg's hand around his arm, almost in the same place. It had been right enough to bruise for weeks. His handprints had been distinguishable in them for almost ten days afterwards.  
"So are you gonna tell the others to steal Steph's perfume?" Nicaise forced himself to ask, and Winifield glanced up at him. She already had the needle in his arm and was attaching the syringe.  
"Is that what it's going to take?" she countered, and Nicaise shrugged his other shoulder but didn't bother wording a reply.  
Winifield sighed, but didn't say anything. They were silent as she drew his blood, before releasing the belt and taking the needle out, pressing a cotton pads over it at the same time. Nicaise held it in place as she put the tube of blood on the table and disposed of the needle.  
"Look on the bright side," she said and she she came back over, taking a band-aid out the kit and started unpeeling it.  
"There's a bright side?" Nicaise asked and she laughed, taking the cotton pad away and pressing the sticker onto Nicaise's skin.  
"The WiFi code is on the fridge, and you have your headphones, a phone and a working wrist. You'll be fine."  
Nicaise choked on his air as he stared at her. By the time he answered, he was grinning.  
"Did you actually just tell me to go fuck myself?"  
She flashed him a grin and Nicaise laughed. Maybe she was going to be more interesting than he'd thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you need anything else tagged let me know in the comments or on Tumblr.


	3. Chapter two; Fights, Ankles and Deals, oh my

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicaise gets into a fight with Jack, Neil takes him to Wymack's and some interesting things come out of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW FOR:  
> Violence   
> Blood  
> Knives  
> Threats   
> Mania / implied mania   
> Addiction  
> Sex / Masturbation addiction   
> Talking about sex   
> Mentioned / implied paedophilia in the past   
> Mentioned / Implied csa   
> Mentioned / implied rape  
> Mentioned / implied sexual assault  
> Baiting  
> Mild manipulation by a healthcare professional 
> 
> Let me know if you need anything else tagged.

"Josten, get your ass over to Abby's."  
"Why?"  
"Because I said so." Wymack was standing in the doorway looking at Neil, who was still mindlessly tearing apart a sandwich at the kitchen table.  
"Coach-"  
"She said the new kid's digging himself in deep," the man cut in. "Wants you to go over and talk some sense into him."  
"Why would he listen to me? You saw how he was the other day."  
"Last I checked, you've got a way of talking to manic psychos that makes them listen. Just don't sleep with this one if you can help it."  
Neil frowned. "She thinks he's at Andrew's level?"  
"Something like that," the man said. "She also said you need to fix the hierarchy."  
"You know that never settles until a few weeks after term starts," Neil argued and Wymack shrugged.  
"Do I look like I care?"  
Neil groaned. But when the man didn't move, Neil stood up and trudged out of the apartment.

As soon as Neil walked through Abby's front door his eardrums almost exploded from how loud people were shouting and screaming.  
He walked through to the den and saw the whole team was there, some in a wide circle around the furniture, most of the others crowded inside that circle, with two people in the centre. Everyone was shouting over each other. Neil only bothered to make out someone shouting, "Stop it!" and someone else screaming, "Jack!" and "You're going to kill him!" before he turned and went through to the kitchen, grabbed two knives from the block and made his way back to the den.   
Keith and Henry moved out of his way as soon as they saw him, and pulled Ben with them to let Neil closer to the inner circle. He hauled a few of the others out the way, not bothering to look to see who they were. As soon as they saw the knives they shut up shouting.  
Jack and Nicaise were on the floor, and Nicola, Hunter and Matthew were trying to separate them, all of them screaming.  
Neil pulled Nicola back by her hair, then shouldered his way past the guys before kneeling and holding one of the knives against Nicaise's throat from behind, and pointed another at Jack who was lying on the floor.  
"If either of you move, I'll cut."  
"Oh, of course you will, Captain," Nicaise said. He sounded like he was grinning. "You gonna cut us up all nice 'nd neat? Maybe even keep our skin as souvenirs? How flatterin'. But I'll take a pass."  
Neil wrapped his arm around the kid's neck, hauling him up to a standing position, the knife at his jugular.  
"Jack, get up. Slowly."  
Neil walked backwards, pulling Nicaise with him as Jack rolled onto all fours and spat a mouthful of blood out before slowly standing up.  
"Tell me what happened," Neil said.  
"Nicaise pounced Jack-!"  
"Jack punched Nic-!"  
"Nicaise fucked Steph-!"  
"Robin left-!"  
"Abby said to-!"  
Neil growled. "Shut the fuck up!" he yelled and the room fell silent.  "Ben. What happened?" Ben was a sophomore and couldn't lie to save his life - or anyone else's.   
"Nicaise hooked up with Stephanie as soon as Abby brought him here," the man said. "And Jack flipped. Then Abby said Nicaise was to stay with Robin from now on - Uhm from then on," he corrected himself, frowning. "And that was okay. Robin didn't let Nicaise out of her sight the last few days. But then today she went to help Abby with the grocery shopping, and Abby said they'd be back before Nicaise woke up, but if they weren't then we had to keep him and Jack away from each other."  
"How did the fight start?"  
"We - Harry and I - heard Nicaise come downstairs. He was shouting on Robin. We went out to the hall to tell him she wasn't in, and to try to get him to come stay in here; we would have taken him up to our room to play on the console but Abby said not to let him in any of our bedrooms until he's seen Betsy again. So we got him through here. But then Stephanie came through and asked if we had  seen her pink earrings. Nicaise offered to help her find them - but then Jack came through and said he'd just buy her new ones cause no way was Nicaise getting anywhere near Steph."  
"Then what?"  
Ben chewed his lip, looking down at the ground. "Ben. Then what happened?" Neil repeated.  
"Nicaise told Jack to go fuck himself and leave Stephanie for him to fuck, since Jack clearly wasn't doing a good enough job," Ben said quietly. "And then he went to pull Steph onto his lap, and Jack punched him."  
Nicaise started laughing at that, seemingly unbothered by the kitchen knife Neil still had to his neck. "He should know not to hit a foster kid - we never fight fair. I thought this team would at least know that."  
Neil frowned. "Do you have a fucking death wish?"   
Nicaise just shrugged and tilted his head back to look up at Neil.  "Depends who's gonna give me the final blow," he said with a grin.  
Neil sighed. "Anything to say, Jack?"  
Jack shook his head, still wiping blood off his face. "Just keep him the fuck away from me and Steph. Or I'm done playing nice."  
Neil hauled a laughing Nicaise out the house and down to his car, pushing him into the passenger seat.  
"What the fuck is your problem?" Neil barked as soon as he got in the driver's side, but Nicaise just grinned at him.  
"Wouldn't you love to know, Captain."  
Neil groaned, and turned the radio up louder instead of answering.

As they went into the elevator in Coach's building, Neil pulled his phone out and texted Robin.   
_'When ur done w/ abby come get your pet from Wymack's'_  
Sighing, he put his phone away and leant back against the railing, watching Nicaise. Nicaise just raised a brow, mirroring Neil's position with an expectant smirk on his face.  
"Starin', Captain," he sing-songed and Neil glared, which only made him grin.  
The doors opened and Neil hauled the boy out, walking him up the hall and into Wymack's apartment.  
"Coach, call Bee," Neil shouted as he pushed Nicaise towards the living room.   
"Why the fuck would I do that?" Wymack asked, walking in from the kitchen, and Neil pointed at Nicaise.   
"Cause we're going to have to come up with some sort of deal with him and she knows how to get in his head."   
Wymack raised a brow, looking over at Nicaise. "Why?"  
"He jumped Steph, got in a fight and gave Jack a split lip, broken nose and black eye."  
"Two black eyes," Nicaise piped up, and then shrugged when Neil glared at him. "What? May as well get it right."  
Wymack sighed, walking back to the kitchen. A few seconds later, Neil heard him on the phone.  
Nicaise flopped down on the sofa, looking up at Neil. Something in his gaze reminded Neil of a wild cat, waiting to pounce on it's prey. He took a few steps back and leant against the wall, texting the group chat he was in with Allison, Renee, Andrew and Nicky.  
_'How does someone act when they're addicted to sex?'_  
The replies came within a minute.  
_Allison: 'Like how K gets if he doesn't get to play exy, but with sex'_  
 _Nicky: 'Context Neil context'_  
Neil started typing out a reply, but stopped when Nicaise started talking again.  
"Who you textin'?"  
"My friends," Neil replied shortly as he deleted his reply, finger hovering over the camera button instead. It would probably be easier to just show them rather than try to describe Nicaise's behaviour.   
"Anyone I know?"  
"No," Neil said as he pressed record.   
Nicaise clicked his tongue. "Anyone I'm gonna get to know?"  
Neil frowned, and the boy just pouted up at him. "What? I wanna know if they're gonna fuck me or not."  
"What the fuck?" It was out Neil's mouth before he could think, and Nicaise tilted his head as he moved onto his knees.  
"Isn't that why you're textin' 'em? Plannin' when or how to kick my ankles apart?"  
"No." Neil didn't even know what that phrase meant, but assumed the others would.  
"Shame," Nicaise sighed, sitting with his legs splayed - almost like a puppet whose strings had been cut, Neil thought. "If you were, I was gonna say I'd make it easy for 'em. I won't even put up a fight - unless that's what they're into," he added with a sharp grin.   
"Fuck off," Neil muttered and Nicaise laughed.  
"Can't blame a kid for tryin' - I've not gotten gang banged in forever."  
Grimacing, Neil ended the recording and sent it.  
"Bee's on her way over," Wymack barked as he stalked back into the room. "She wasn't planning on seeing him again til the start of term, but apparently Abby already suggested making it sooner than later."  
Neil nodded, glancing back down to his phone.  
_Allison: .... holy shit_  
 _Nicky: uhhhhhhhhhh.. I think Andrew should answer that one...._  
 _Allison: yeah getting his ankles kicked open is more minyards territory anyway_  
 _Nicky: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_  
 _Renee: Allison that's not polite_   
Allison had sent a gif of someone shrugging in response to her girlfriend.  
_Renee: Neil, does he always act like this?_  
 _Neil: yeah - w/everyone. Including Wymack, Abby & Bee_  
 _Andrew: How old is he_  
He didn't bother making it a question, but the others were used to how he texted by now.  
_Neil: 17_  
 _Andrew: back story_  
 _Neil: foster care & juvie _  
_Allison: ffs_  
 _Andrew: typical_   
He didn't reply again and Neil frowned, switching to their privet chat.  
' _What does he mean by kicking his ankles open?'_  
 _'Keep an eye on him - he'll probably try to get you to fuck him'_ Andrew sent instead of an answer. And then; _'Kicking someone's ankles open means raping them'_  
_'Has he been raped?'_ Neil typed out.  
_'I can't tell just from a video, Rabbit'_ was Andrew's answer and Neil rolled his eyes. _'But he's used sex as a coping mechanism - the more insecure he is the more sexual he'll get'_  
 _'What do I do?'_  
 _'Keep him at a distance and don't react to anything he says or does'_ was Andrew's only reply, and Neil put his phone away.   
What the fuck?

\---

Nicaise didn't bother looking over when he heard the door to Wymack's apartment open. He tilted his head in the direction of the doorway when he heard Dobson's voice.  
"Nicaise."  
"Shrinky-dink," Nicaise chirped, lolling his head back off of the armrest to look at her. "What a pleasure to see you again. How are you?"  
"I'm alright, but I'm concerned about you, Nicaise."  
"Alright and concerned?" Nicaise asked, tutting. "How can you be two things at once, Shrinky-dink?"  
"Because my day in general is alright, but on a more specific level, I've been worrying about you."  
"No need to worry bout me, Shrinky-dink," Nicaise cooed. "I can take care of myself."  
"So I hear," she said as she stopped next to the sofa where Josten was still standing. "I also heard you got in quite the fight at Abby's. Would you like to tell me about it?"  
Nicaise laughed, shrugging as he looked up at the pair.  
"It was just a misunderstandin' - and Jack should've known better than to hit a foster kid. It's his own fault."  
"I see," the woman said.   
**_I see_ _. I see_ _was what Reg had said when Nicaise had tried to explain why he hadn't been able to stop-_**  
"I also heard you and Stephanie got to know each other."  
Nicaise shrugged. "We hooked up once, so what."  
"Do you hook up with people a lot?"  
"You could say that," Nicaise said dryly.  
"What about relationships? Do you date people too?"  
"Not exactly."   
"What do you mean?" Dobson pressed and Nicaise groaned, stretching.   
"I don't date - but I've been... committed," he said, unable to stop the grin from spreading across his face as he spoke, "to one person at a time, in the past. And now I'm not. But I wouldn't call them my exes."  
"What would you call them, then?"  
_**Family.**_  
"The past," Nicaise said easily, smiling lazily up at her. "It's as simple as that, darlin'."  
Dobson hummed. "When was the last time you were committed to one person, then?"  
"A few months back."  
"How many people have you slept with since then?"  
Nicaise laughed. "You expect me to keep count?"  
"If you had to guess," the woman pushed and Nicaise tilted his head.  
"More than ten."  
"How many of them were older than you?"  
"All of them - I don't fuck with people my age or younger. They don't know shit."  
"What's the oldest person you've hooked up with?"  
_**Seventy-three.** _  
Nicaise shrugged. "How should I know? I don't ask to see their birth certificate or driver's licence before I let them in my pants."  
"If you had to hazard a guess just by how they looked?"   
Nicaise sighed, clucking his tongue. She was so fucking pushy. He could just wrap his hand around her fucking throat and-  
"Older than Coach," he said and she pursed her lips.  
"How old were you when you lost your virginity?"  
_**Eight.**_  
Nicaise shrugged easily. "Old enough to enjoy it."  
"How old was your partner?"  
_**Thirty-four.**_  
"Old enough he knew what he was doin'," Nicaise laughed and Dobson hummed.   
"What's the longest you've ever gone without sex, Nicaise?"  
Another shrug as he gazed up at her. "A couple days."  
"Before Stephanie, when was the last time you had sex?"  
Nicaise pursed his lips and hummed as he thought back. "And hour or so before Coach picked me up."  
"And what about before that?" she asked and Nicaise scoffed.    
"Almost every day."  
"What about masturbating?"   
Nicaise laughed. Dobson had balls, he'd give her that.   
"What about it?" he asked, grinning.  
"When was the last time you masturbated?"  
Beside her, Josten shifted and Nicaise grinned at him. "This mornin'," he said.  
"How many times?"  
"Three or four, I think."  
"And before that?"  
"Last night."  
"How many times?"  
"Two."  
"What about before that?"  
"Some point yesterday," he replied. "Why?"  
"Would you say that's normal for you? To masturbate so often?"  
"Yeah," he said without skipping a beat. "Always has been."    
"Do you masturbate on the same days you have sex?"  
"Of course," he said, tilting his head. "Why?" He quirked an eyebrow at the woman. "You offerin' to help out, darlin'?"  
"No," she said and Nicaise pouted.   
"Aww. Shrinky-dink, you got my hopes up for nothin'?" he whined and she smiled slightly.  
"I asked because I want to see if we can play a game, if you'd like."  
"I like games," Nicaise said, unable to stop from smirking. "What's this one gonna be called? You can be a hungry lioness and I'll be a baby gazelle," he purred.   
Annoyingly, her expression didn't change. "We both know that's not the type of game I mean," she said and Nicaise shrugged innocently. "I mean a game more like a challenge - or a bet."  
"What sorta bet?" he asked.  
"How long do you think you can go without having sex or masturbating?"   
Nicaise laughed loudly.  "Not long - I'll go insane after a week."  
"What about six weeks?" Dobson asked and Nicaise just stared at her, grinning. "If you can last six weeks without sex, masturbating or looking at any type of porn, then you can get a reward."  
Nicaise clicked his tongue before rolling over and sitting up. "Ok, I'll bite," he said. "What sort of reward?"  
"A twelve hour window to get as wrecked as you want, and we'll look the other way, and Abby won't take any samples from you until it's all out of your system."   
Nicaise hummed. "What's in it for you?"  
"If you last the six weeks?" Dobson asked and Nicaise nodded. "Nothing. I only get something if you don't last."  
"What do you get then?"  
"If you don't last the six weeks, I get to have you for weekly therapy sessions and you'll be obligated to attend and cooperate."  
Grinning, Nicaise held out his hand to her without missing a beat. He could feel his gaze beginning to darken. "Looks like you've got a deal, Shrinky-dink," he said and her smile was tight as she shook his hand.  
"Let the game begin," she said.


	4. Chapter Three; Tough Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicaise goes back to Abby's, and withdrawal kicks in, and he learns some more about his latest housemates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW FOR:  
> Swearing  
> Sexism?  
> Misogyny probably  
> Flashbacks in varying degrees of graphicness   
> Blood / gore? Mild probably   
> Graphic withdrawal which is literally just self projection   
> Implied child abuse   
> PTSD  
> Implied / referenced childhood sexual assault   
> Nudity?   
> Mention of kinks
> 
> If you need anything else tagged let me know

Stupid fucking bitchass cuntfaced whore. Nicaise sat silent in the back seat of the stupid yellow car while Dobson drove and Winifield sat in the passenger seat, sending Nicaise worried glanced in the rear view mirror every few seconds.   
Beside him, Robin was texting - either Josten or someone back at the house, Nicaise couldn't decide. Not that he cared.  
When Winifield and Robin had gotten to Coach's apartment, Josten had been in that same spot against the wall watching Nicaise while Dobson and Wymack were in the kitchen talking about him. It was always funny when people thought going in another room to talk about someone somehow made it subtle.   
Winifield had gone straight to the kitchen while Robin had leant in the doorway to the living room.   
"Watson!" Nicaise had greeted, letting himself sound cheerful. "We were beginnin' to think you weren't gonna show."  
"Blame traffic," she had deadpanned. And then; "What the fuck were you thinking?"  
"You're gonna have to narrow it down, Doll. I think a lot of stuff."  
"Getting into a fight with Jack. The only one who's ever bet him in a fair fight was Andrew - not even Matt could come away without it being a close call."  
Andrew. Matt. Nicaise had heard both names mentioned before by other Foxes, but hadn't met the men.  
"And I should care about that because I've met both men and know how amazin' they are at fightin', right?"  
Robin had groaned before heading into the kitchen. The four of them had left a few minutes later. Josten hadn't moved the entire time.

When they got back to Winifield's, Nicaise followed Robin up the stairs to the bedroom, flopping on top of his bed and looking up at her.  
"Whatcha lookin' at me like that for, Watson?"  
"You're an idiot."  
"Oh, how you wound me with your words."  
Robin rolled her eyes. And then; "Come on. We're going downstairs."  
"But I don't wa-"  
"I don't care," she cut in. Her voice was cold and dead. "Now move."  
Groaning, Nicaise rolled off the bed and followed her downstairs to the den, dropping himself on the floor as she took her place on one of the sofas next to Micheal and Henry.  
Henry looked between the pair of them, Robin with her hair pulled up in a ponytail and Nicaise with his head lolled back on the edge of the seat, probably not even two inches from getting kicked.  
"Everything alright?" Henry asked.  
_'Is he about to go crazy and punch someone again or are we good?'_ Henry meant.  
"Yeah," Robin said.   
_'We're good until he gets pissed off again,'_ Robin meant.  
She nudged the back of Nicaise's head with her toe. "He'll be in withdrawal soon, and Bee says we've to force him through it, so that'll be a load of shit to deal with."  
"And how are we doing that?" Micheal asked with a wary look at Nicaise.  
"Constant buddy system," Robin answered without missing a beat. "He doesn't get left alone - at all. Even going to the bathroom and in the shower."  
Nicaise turned, squinting up at her. "When the fuck did Dobson say that?"  
"She didn't," Robin said. "I did."  
Nicaise rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, cause you're a fuckin' expert on addiction, aren't ya."  
He turned back around to face the TV but yelped when Robin's hands were suddenly hauling his head back by his hair, one hand wrapping around his throat, fingers digging into his windpipe.    
"It's how it works in rehab facilities, brat. So get fucking used to it." She let go and Nicaise winced as he rolled his shoulders and tilted his neck from side to side.  
"Fuckin' hell," he hissed.  
Henry and Micheal looked between the two of them. "Who's buddying up with him, then?" Henry asked after a few beats of silence.  
"Only people who he's got no chance of crawling into bed with," Robin replied. "And who won't let him get in a fight with them either."  
The two men were silent as they likely went through the team members in their minds, checking off their sexualities. "So you, Trisha, Matthew, Ben, Jake and Wally?" Micheal asked after a few seconds and Robin shrugged but didn't offer a reply.  
Nicaise tilted his head to look at Henry and Micheal.  "So yous two are gay?"  
Henry pointed to himself, "Queer-," and then to Micheal. "-Gay."  
Nicaise nodded to himself, barely avoiding getting kicked in the head when Robin's foot shot out.  
"Easy," he yelped, looking up at her. "The fuck was that for?"  
"You're not seriously expecting me to let you hit on them right in the middle of our conversation about you being about to go into withdrawal." She didn't even make it a question.  
Nicaise glared. "I wasn't gonna - I was just askin', I wasn't tryin' to get in their pants."  
"Then what were you about to ask them?" she challenged.  
"What fuckin' year they're in. It might not have occurred to you, Watson, but I still don't know shit bout anyone here. Or am I not allowed to make conversation without your fuckin' permission?"   
He pushed her foot back as he stood up. "Where the fuck do you think you're going now?"   
"To get some fuckin' food," Nicaise yelled as he walked into the hall. "Or do I need a fuckin' shadow to do that too?"  
Not even five seconds later he heard footsteps come out of the den and into the kitchen behind him. "You've gotta be fuckin' kiddin' me," he muttered.  
"In her defense, she's still playing nice with you," Henry said and Nicaise turned around to face him.  
"That's her idea of bein' nice?" he scoffed.   
"She'll just get tougher on you the more you try to fight her on stuff."  
Nicaise shook his head, turning back to the cupboards and opening each of them.  
"What's her deal, anyway?"  
Henry laughed, leaning his hips against the counter. "Robin's personal brand of tough love is an acquired taste, but you get used to it. She's just on edge cause it's gonna be the first year without Andrew's lot here, and Neil's gonna be the only other monster around now."  
Nicaise glanced over.  "The same Andrew that she was on about earlier?" he asked and Henry nodded. "Who is he?"  
"Neil's boyfriend. Or fiance - money's up in the air with that one. What did she tell you about him?"  
"Not a lot," Nicaise said as he resumed rummaging around in the cupboards. "Just that he was apparently the only one who could take Jack in a fight and walk away from it without a mark."  
Henry snorted. "Yeah, cause the guy always carries knives."  
"No way."  
"Yes way. He kept them on him at all times - you know that trope in a movie where one character takes like twenty weapons out of their outfit and they were all hidden and everyone else is staring but also bored cause that's normal for that character? That was pretty much Andrew with his knives."  
"And he's with scarface? How do those two even go together?"   
"Beats me. But they got together Neil's freshman year - Robin, Jack and I got here the year after, and they were an item. Have been the whole time. But Andrew graduated last year, and this year is gonna be Neil's final year. Robin's just tense from the power shift that's gonna put in place once the school year starts back up."  
"Was Andrew in charge or somethin'?" Nicaise asked as he gave up on the cupboards and moved to the fridge.  
"May as well have been. Him, Neil and Kevin were on top. See, Andrew's lot - that was him, Neil, Kevin, Aaron and Nicky -, took Robin in. Whoever was under Andrew's watch was automatically safe. From everything. Andrew protected and defended them, and pretty much always took their side, and if he liked them, he liked them. Earning his trust was something really special, and if you belonged to him then you had an instant family who would and could kill for you. But now it's just Neil and Robin who are left, and Neil's gonna be all over the place until he gets used to Andrew not being part of his shadow every second of the day."  
Humming acknowledgement, Nicaise took a banana out and shut the fridge over.  
"Where's Andrew now?"  
"He and Kevin went pro. Wouldn't tell us who they sighed with, but most of the money is on the Pumas," Henry added as Nicaise peeled the skin off the banana.  
"What about the other two?"  
"Nicky went back to Germany to live with his boyfriend, and Aaron's starting a thing at a hospital up in Colombia for medschool."  
Nicaise thought as he chewed.  
"She mentioned some other guy - Matt. Is that the same Matthew you two mentioned through there?" As he spoke, Nicaise gestured with the fruit to the living room door across the hall, and Henry shook his head.  
"If she just said Matt then it'd be Boyd she meant - that guy was a fucking Greek God, and could throw punches like a pro boxer. He graduated the year before Andrew."  
Nicaise processed that as he ate more of the banana.  
"So you're in the same year as Robin and Jack?" he asked and Henry nodded, smiling slightly.  
"Yeah, and so is Keith. We're all going into our fourth year."  
"What about Micheal?"  
"He'll be starting his sophomore year," Henry said and Nicaise hummed as he took another bite.  
"Steph?"  
"Junior. And that's not gonna work, by the way."  
Nicaise frowned. "What's not gonna work?"  
Henry raised a brow as he moved off of the counter and walked towards Nicaise.   
"Eating a banana slowly in front of a queer guy," he said as he stopped in front of Nicaise. "Oldest trick in the book."  
Nicaise groaned, shaking his head as he swallowed. "Habit. But Dobson doesn't think I can make it the whole way, so I have to prove her wrong."  
"How long did she tell you to go?"  
"Six weeks."  
"And the longest you've gone before is...?"  
Nicaise shrugged. "A couple days. But she said no wankin' or porn either."  
Henry whistled. "So say six hours, then."  
Nicaise rolled his eyes but didn't argue, and Henry shook his head.   
"You think you're gonna make it?" he asked dubiously and Nicaise forced a shrug.  
"Can't be that bad," he said and Henry laughed, ruffling Nicaise's hair.  
"That's the spirit.  Come on, Robin probably thinks I've already bent you over the table by now."  
Nicaise followed Henry back through to the den, trying not to think of how many hours were in six weeks. It couldn't be that hard, right?

...

By the next evening, Nicaise was sorely regretting making the deal with Dobson.  
The night before, he had grit his teeth and gone for a cold shower before bed, just to give himself a fighting chance of passing out before he got hard. He'd fell asleep with his earplugs in, listening to some shit instrumental music that was meant to bore him to sleep. In the morning he'd gotten in the shower before Robin had woken up, begrudgingly turning it to cold again.   
He'd stayed with Robin all day, as told - and when she wasn't there, he stuck to Ben and Matthew. Henry and Micheal were almost always in the same room, not so subtly keeping an eye on Nicaise too.  
By mid afternoon, he had been jittery, but had insisted it was because he'd had too much caffeine or sugar, even though they all knew he'd barely had any of either.  
Abby had insisted on them all watching a movie together in the den that evening, and Nicaise had sat between Robin and Matthew. Ten minutes into the movie, Nicaise was trembling.  
"Stop it," Robin hissed after twenty minutes or so. It took Nicaise a moment to realise he was shaking hard enough that he was making her move.   
He whined quietly but curled up, trying to control the shakes.   
As the movie went on, he tuned out. He couldn't stop shaking, and he was rock hard. He could feel himself leaking pre-cum, could feel it soaking into his boxers and sticking the material to his skin, could feel it slowly soaking through his jeans.  
By the end of the movie, he could barely sit still. As soon as the credits started rolling he was off the sofa and bolting up the stairs. He could hear footsteps behind him, and he sped up. Robin caught him before he could turn up the hall to head for the bathroom, and shoved him into their bedroom instead, using both of their momentums to pin him up against the far wall before he could catch his balance enough to push her off without tripping.  
"Fuck-!"  
"No." She pressed his cheek into the wall. "Do you get that? No. No jerking off. No grinding. No edging. No teasing. No."  
Nicaise elbowed her in the ribs and she took a step back. "Are you fuckin' tryin' to get me off?" he snapped as he turned to look at her.   
"If you didn't want me chasing you, you shouldn't have ran."  
"There's this thin' called bein' desperate- you may have heard of it."  
"Desperate for what, exactly?" When Nicaise scoffed, Robin pushed him back against the wall.  "For a piss? Fine. For a nice hot, steamy, soapy shower?" She tilted her head. "To jerk off as many times as you can in less than five minutes?"  
"Fuck off," he muttered, pushing her away and shoving past her to go back out the door and up the hall. When he shut the bathroom door, Robin pushed it open, following him into the room and shutting it behind her.  
"Last I checked, I'm not your type," he said, and she looked at him blankly.   
"Just go for a piss and get in the shower already."  
"If you wanted a show, you could've just asked nicely - though I wouldn't have pegged you as the piss sort."  
When she just leant back against the door with her arms folded and brow arched, Nicaise shook his head and stripped.  
Robin watched like a hawk, and he tried to focus on her, on the cold water, on getting washed, and not on the memories that tried to come back at the deja vu.  _The hair pulling, the blood_ \- **_god there was so much blood, on the tiles, in the water, running down his chest from the-_**  
"Doe."  
Nicaise blinked, realising a beat too late that he had been frozen still for who knew how long. And Robin was watching him. Something about her gaze made him uneasy, like she wasn't just looking at him, but looking through him.   
Gritting his teeth, he turned the water off and got out the shower, grabbing a towel from the cupboard and methodically drying himself off before tying it around his waist as he padded over to where Robin was still leaning against the door.  
"Move."  
"What was the flashback about?" Her voice sounded dead, more so than usual. Nicaise glared, yanking her away from the door and stalking back down the hall to their room with her following three steps behind.  
"Nicaise-!"  
"Fuck off," he spat, dropping the towel and pulling on a pair of boxers from his bag.  
Robin touched his shoulder and he shrugged her off, sinking onto his bed. "I mean it," he muttered. "Just fuck off."   
She frowned at him but eventually went over to the door. "Ben, keep an eye on him for me." Nicaise didn't bother looking up when Ben appeared in the doorway and Robin disappeared up the hall.  Instead, he flopped back on the mattress with a groan.   
"She's only trying to help," Ben murmured and Nicaise tilted his head to look at the man.  
"If she  wants to help she should shut up and back off."  
Ben hummed and they lapsed into silence for a few minutes. "Everyone deals with trauma differently," he said quietly and Nicaise arched an eyebrow.  "Robin just forgets that sometimes. Yous two probably have more in common than you realise. She just forgets her way of dealing with things doesn't work for everyone, that's all."  
Nicaise shrugged and Ben shut up again. Robin reappeared a few minutes later in a towel and Ben left.  
"In bed.  Now."  
Huffing, Nicaise got under his cover and Robin turned the light off. He heard her drop the towel and then the room was silent until her bed creaked slightly as she got into it.   
Trying to ignore the fact he was getting hard, Nicaise took his phone out and thumbed through the music, putting his earplugs in when he found the boring instrumental shit again. He turned it up and rolled onto his side, facing the wall with his back to the room, forcing himself to tuck his hands under his pillow as he shut his eyes and tried to will himself to keep his hips still and to go to sleep.

.....

_**Sobbing, Nicaise tried to pull away from her but her nails dug into his wrist some more, breaking the skin. He trembled as she hissed in his ear, tugging him sharply enough every breath stung his entire body. Why couldn't she just fucking kill him? Why did she have to keep drawing it out?** _   
_**As her nails dug into the flesh at the base of his neck he shut his eyes, pleading silently for death to hurry up and catch him.** _

.....

 

His eyes snapped open and Nicaise stared at the darkness for a few seconds before pushing himself up into a sitting position.  
She wasnt there. She hadn't been there for years. He wasn't even in New fucking York.  He was on the other end of the fucking country.  
It wasn't until he felt his stomach tighten that he realised he'd been palming himself to try to calm down. Swearing, he pulled his hand away, forcing himself to keep both hands on the bed instead. It didn't make much difference; his cock was still throbbing, he still felt close as fuck, and his hips kept trying to buck up against the blanket to find some kind of friction.  
Gulping, he looked over to where Robin was still asleep in her bed. Her hair was splayed out on the pillow around her, and the blanket was drawn up to her waist, with her bare back facing him. She was bulky and toned, and could probably crush a watermelon with her bare hands. Her clothes usually hid it, but with the moonlight highlighting all her muscles it was obvious.   
Gritting his teeth, Nicaise got out of bed and pulled a large hoodie on as he made his way across the room, opening the door and pulling it over behind himself, being careful not to let it click since Robin was usually a light sleeper. He went downstairs slowly, staying close to the wall to avoid the stairs creaking under his weight. By the time he got in the kitchen, his entire body was trembling and his cock was throbbing so hard it was like a second heartbeat.  
Whimpering, he slid down the side of the fridge-freezer, his head falling back against the metal as he curled his legs up against his chest.  
A few minutes later there was a sigh from across the room. He didn't bother opening his eyes when Winifield sat down on the floor next to him. Instead he kept his eyes shut and his hands clamped around his kneecaps.  
"Nicaise, I need you to calm down." Her voice was quiet and gentle but Nicaise could barely hear it over how loud his blood was rushing in his ears. He  was too hard - he couldn't fucking _breathe_ -  
**_"You feel that?" Reg had snarled, arm against Nicaise's throat, pinning his struggling body against the wall a few feet off the floor. "You feel how much you wanna cum? You feel how fucking painful that feels?"_**  
 ** _Nicaise sobbed, struggling against the man's arm, trying to kick away from the wall or push his arm away or something, just something to breathe again._**  
 ** _"You don't fucking deserve to cum, brat. You don't fucking deserve to get fucked. You're gonna keep feeling like this until you learn to fucking behave - then maybe I'll take pity on you and fuck you."_**  
 ** _Nicaise gasped as his vision blurred, spots appearing across Reg's face. His mouth opened and shut like a fish but he couldn't get any words out. He couldn't fucking breathe-_**  
"Nicaise, please." Winifield's voice cut through the memory and Nicaise looked at her. It took a few seconds for him to realise she had her hand hovering a few inches from his face, and a few more seconds before he realised he had yelped and pulled away from her palm.  
"Nicaise, I need you to take a breath."  
He shook his head, practically panting as he stared up at her.   
"I'm sorry," he hiccuped. Was he crying? He was probably crying.  He had been crying the last time Reg had-  
"It's alright, but I need you to take a deep breath," Winifield prodded.   
"I'm sorry," Nicaise repeated. "I'm sorry for whatever I did and I'm sorry I'm not good enough."  
She frowned at him, and when she spoke, her voice was cautious. Wary. "What do you mean?"  
"I'm sorry I'm not good enough for you to fuck," he sobbed.  "Whatever I did, I'm sorry."  
Winifield stared at him.   
"Do you think we're doing this to punish you for something?" she asked slowly.  
He hiccuped. "Why else would you do it?"  
Winifield sighed. "Nicaise..." She watched as he curled up on his side on the floor. After a few moments, he felt her move closer again. "Nicaise, this is for your own good. We're trying to help you. You haven't done anything wrong and this isn't a punishment."   
"But it hurts," he sobbed.  He could barely breathe. It was taking everything in him to not roll over and hump the floor.  
"It hurts because you're in withdrawal," she murmured as Nicaise tried to curl himself up tighter. "But I promise it'll get easier the longer you last. It'll feel good. You just have to hold on."

...

The next few days passed in a blur of muscle spasms, nausea, cold sweats and soaked-through boxers. He spent almost the entire time curled up in his bed; the smidgen of time he was out of bed was spent in cold showers.   
Winifield had made him agree that purposefully getting off or trying to get someone else to get him off counted as a relapse; but anything his body did while he was asleep was involuntary and didn't count. So Nicaise vowed to spend as much time asleep as he could, if it was the only way he was allowed to cum.  
He'd expected wet dreams since he'd been pent up for two whole fucking days. Instead he it fucked up fever dreams and memories that always left him confused, dazed, panting or scared, or some combination. Still, he'd woken up to his boxers being soaked through with enough cum to account for two or more wet dreams every time, regardless of what memories had been thrown together in his brain. Whether it was memories of Reg fucking him into the mattress or Her riding him until he couldn't get it up anymore which would always end with him getting beaten until he passed out, or if it was himself trying to cut his arms to ribbons, or tying to slit his wrists, it always ended with him waking up rock hard and throbbing despite having came at least once in his sleep.  
Throughout the days, Winifield or Robin had came to the decision Nicaise would be under watch constantly. The first few times he had woken  up it had been Robin who was with him, either on her bed reading, on her phone or sitting watching him. Then it had been Ben, and he had been sitting on the floor next to Nicaise's bed. After him had been a girl Nicaise had found out was called Trisha.  She had wound up getting him to eat half a yoghurt before managing to hold at least half a conversation with her. Something about a band she liked. He hadn't been paying much attention.   
The next time he had woken up it had been Robin again. They seemed to rotate like that. Nicaise wasn't sure if any of the other Foxes were watching him when he was asleep, if he had just missed them or not. He could have sworn Robin had said more guys' names when she had been listing who's pants he wouldn't be getting in. Maybe the rest didn't feel they could win if a fight happened. Maybe they didn't want to punch someone Nicaise's size. Though they played Exy, so they had to be alright with it. Maybe they just didn't want to sit and watch him sleep.  
It was hard to keep track of time, but Nicaise assumed it had been three or four days since Winifield had found him curled up in the kitchen when he woke up to find Ben on the floor for the fifth time.  
"Kid, you awake?" Ben's voice was low and gravely and Nicaise groaned into his pillow.  
"Unfortunately," he said, not bothering to take the pillow out his mouth.  
"Then don't you think you should stop?"  
"Stop what?" Nicaise sighed.  
"Stop humping the mattress." It took a beat for Ben's words to register. Frowning, Nicaise started to roll over onto his side, groaning loudly as he did, realising too late he must have started fucking into the mattress as he'd started to wake up.  
Swearing, he managed to stop his hips, glaring at the floor for a few seconds after as he waited for the tremors to stop.  
"How long'd I been doin' that for?"   
"Maybe five minutes," Ben murmured and Nicaise groaned.  
"What time's it?"  
"Ten twenty," Ben said after a pause as he checked his phone. "At night."  
Gulping, Nicaise reached for his glass of water on the stand next to the bed, rolling onto his stomach as he did. Almost instantly his hips jerked and he moaned.  
"Nicaise stop." Ben's voice was urgent but Nicaise was already biting his pillow to stay quiet as his hips fucked into the mattress, much faster than they had been when he'd woken up. "Kid, you have to stop."  
"I can't," Nicaise whimpered into the pillow. "I - I can't-" I can't stop, he meant to say.   
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ben move up onto his knees as he reached towards Nicaise. As his fingers brushed the boy's arm Nicaise's back arched and he bit the pillow hard as he muffled what would have been a wail. Fuck. _He hadn't wailed since Laurent had-_  
"Nicaise?" Ben was frozen on the floor looking at him, hand still hovering between them.   
"I - I-," Nicaise couldn't get anything coherent out, his hips stuttering against the mattress and he groaned again as his stomach tightened. He was too fucking close - _he was gonna be in so much fucking trouble if-_  
Ben bolted out the room and Nicaise moaned into the pillow, silently begging his hips to stop before he came. Whimpering, he tugged at the pillow, trying to hold off as his stomach clenched again. Fuck. He was way too-  
Something wrapped around his shoulder and Nicaise yelped as he was forced onto his back, at the same time something landed on his thighs.   
"Nicaise, you need to stop." Henry's  voice was firm and Nicaise whimpered as his hips bucked up against the older guy's.    
"I can't," he gasped. "I can't- I- please." He didn't even know what he was begging for. Then hands were around his wrists, pinning them to the bed.  
"Ben, get a glass of cold water and some ice," Henry's voice was saying. Nicaise couldn't focus on any of it, couldn't think, couldn't _breathe-_  
Something cold splashed on his stomach and he yelped, trying to pull away but then his neck was freezing cold, and his chest, his thighs, his lower back, his face. When he felt the cold spilling down his stomach and slipping under his waistband he hissed, trying to pull away again. Hands gripped his jaw as his mouth was forced open and he heard himself screech when something cold hit his tongue.  
The grip on his wrists disappeared and he whined, gagging slightly looking up at Henry and Ben.  
"You done good," Henry murmured, moving back slightly on Nicaise's thighs to let the boy sit up. He tried to spit the ice cube out but stopped when Henry shook his head. "It'll help," was all he said. Nicaise grimaced but kept his mouth shut, the ice burning cold against his tongue and cheeks.  
"You done really good this time," Henry repeated, his cold hands running up and down Nicaise's back. "I think you might just prove Bee wrong after all."  
Drained, Nicaise rested his head against the man's shoulder. At least one of them had known what he'd been begging for. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this chapter offended you you're probably jot gonna like the rest. It only gets darker from here on out. I'll try to tag everything as I go, but no promises. Consider this your last warning. This is a dark fic; don't expect sunshine and rainbows because there won't be any.


	5. Chapter Four: Two more weeks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicaise moves into Fox Tower, the team begin practice, Nicaise shows off, he and Henry go see Bee for the mandatory psych eval, and Nicaise gets his orders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW for:  
> Horny Nicaise   
> Addiction   
> Withdrawal   
> Flashbacks  
> PTSD  
> Referenced violence ?  
> Implied Childhood Trauma   
> Implied CSA   
> Drugs? Spiking?

"I thought you said lettin' you drag me alon' to the gym was meant to be useful."  
"It would've been if you had actually worked out," Henry laughed, somehow not even breaking a sweat despite the fact he was lugging a TV up the stairs. Somehow he'd talked Nicaise into helping him move his things into the dorm. They had spent the morning packing his things up before fitting them all into Henry's jeep wrangler. Nicaise had only taken ten minutes to collect his things into his backpack, which had wound up between his feet while he held a box of Henry's knicknacks on his lap.   
At Fox Tower, they unloaded the Jeep and started with the lighter things, which turned out to be Henry's clothes and Nicaise's backpack, which had gotten dumped in the bedroom before they had went back down for the rest.  
The rest being his stereo, all his speakers, his TV, his movie collection, all his music, and then whatever the random knicknacks all were.  
"Not my fault I'm easily distracted," Nicaise muttered and Henry grinned at him as they carried the TV up the hallway to the dorm.   
"The whole point of taking you to the gym was to undistract you," he said and Nicaise pouted.   
He had a point. After the initial first week of withdrawal, Henry had decided to drag Nicaise out of bed and along to the gym with him and a handful of the other guys. At first Nicaise had balked - how could Henry expect him to last more than five minutes without cumming in his pants or trying to get in someone else's? But Henry had pointed out it was only a few of them and they had already decided amongst themselves they could handle Nicaise. "And besides," Keith had said, "you'll have to be able to keep your dick to yourself when we start back at training. The showers are private but the changing room is still communal - and the whole team works out together first thing."  
That had been the deciding note and Nicaise had let Henry haul him into Ben's Toyota. The first session had consisted of Nicaise being horny enough his whole body had been trembling  - but the other guys didn't treat him any different or comment on it like he'd been expecting them to. Instead they had gotten him into the pool until he had calmed down enough to be able to hold himself up. They hadn't even tried to get him in the showers until the fourth or fifth time there.  
Even though he'd been going along to the gym for a month now, Nicaise had only started actually working out in the last week or so.   
"Gentle," Henry warned as they set the TV down on the dorm room floor. "Gentle."  
"Easy for you to say," Nicaise muttered, hissing when his fingertips got caught underneath. Henry smirked but didn't bother commenting.   
"Remind me why your stuff's in my room anyway," Nicaise said. "Dobson said I was goin' to be roomin' with Cap."  
"You're rooming with both of us," Henry said as he surveyed the room full of boxes and bags. "He's demi, so won't have a clue how to calm you down if you go all omega on us."  
"Did you just call me a fuckin' omega?" Nicaise yelped and Henry laughed.  
"You trying to say it's not true?" he countered, grinning when Nicaise could only stare at him in response.   
"When's Cap gettin' here?" he asked instead and Henry shrugged.  
"Whenever Coach kicks him out," he said before leading Nicaise out of the dorm and locking the door behind himself.  
"What's up with that anyway?" Henry raised an eyebrow at him so Nicaise elaborated. "Cap livin' with Coach instead of at the house with Winifield."  
Henry just shook his head as they went back towards the stairwell. "That's something to ask him, not me, Omega."  
Nicaise groaned. He had a feeling that was going to stick.

...

They got out of Henry's jeep at the back entrance to the stadium, and Henry tapped the entry code in while Nicaise tried to simultaneously look over Henry's shoulder at the code and up at the obnoxiously large white walls of the stadium.   
"Abby's birthday," Henry said with a side glance at him. "Coach changes it every month."  
"How long have those three been fuckin'?" Nicaise asked and Henry frowned.  
"Those three?"  
"Coach, Winifield and Dobson," Nicaise clarified.  
"Neil says there's been bets about Coach and Abby since before he was a freshman, but Bee isn't in the picture, kid."  
"She is," Nicaise hummed. "What's the pool at for Coach and Winifield?"  
"Four figures," Henry said with an arched brow.  
"Two hundred bucks says Dobson's fuckin' with them too," Nicaise hummed and Henry laughed.  
"You're on, kid. Two hundred says she's not."  
Nicaise grinned as he followed Henry to the main door, watching as he unlocked it with a separate set of keys. "Does everyone have a set?"   
"Only me, Jack, Neil and Coach. You only get them if he trusts you not to trash the place or lose them."  
"So I'll get them off Jack, okay," Nicaise chirped and Henry only shook his head as he lead them down the wide corridor.  
"That's Abby's first-aid room," he said as he gestured to a door with a large red cross on it as they walked past. "Usually if it's closed, someone's in there - if she's free, she'll leave it open." As they walked further, Henry tipped his chin to the door on the other side of the hall. "And that's Coach's office. Door's always shut but you're welcome any time as long as you knock."  
Henry pushed two large double-doors open and let Nicaise walk into the large foyer in front of him. There were three sofas, two arm chairs and a dozen beanbags, all arranged in a semi circle facing each other. On the walls there were half a dozen TV screens, and in the corner was a trophy case with an array of differently coloured trophies, plaques, medals, awards and framed photos ornamented on it. On the wall next to it was a plethora of photographs held in place with pins, tape and sticky tack.   
Nicaise wandered over to the wall with Henry on his tail. While the framed photos on the mahogany stand were taken of the team together, in line, either surrounding their trophy or holding it and each other, the ones stuck to the wall looked like they'd been taken with phones and throw away cameras. Close up, he could see there were cut-outs from newspapers, magazines and printed articles from websites in amongst the photos.   
"Who's who?" Nicaise asked. He didn't bother specifying - it was easy to spot the photos of the team members he had met and the ones he hadn't.  
Henry began pointing out the other Foxes who had already graduated, only pausing when they both heard footsteps coming down the hallway outside the foyer. Nicaise turned in time to see Josten walking in the hall with Robin and a few of the others.   
"Nicaise," Josten said and Nicaise forced himself not to visibly react.   
"Captain," he said.  
Keith, Matthew and Jack were beside him, with Stephanie, Trisha and Robin tailing close behind. Jack glowered as soon as he heard Nicaise's voice, and Henry took Nicaise's arm.  
"And that's our cue to leave and continue the tour," he said as he pulled Nicaise away from the wall of photos and towards a set of thicker double doors set into the wall slightly.  
Nicaise watched as Henry used another key to unlock them and then he was pulling Nicaise through a tunnel.  
"You know you and Jack are going to have to work this out, right?"  
"It's his problem, not mine," Nicaise said with a shrug.    
"You're the one who fucked his girlfriend," Henry pointed out.  
"He's the one with the girl who let me fuck her," Nicaise corrected and Henry snorted.  
The plexiglass walls were huge when they came out of the tunnel. The court itself was at least twice the size of the one Nicaise had played on in juvie, _but it wasn't as big as the-_  
"And this is where the drama happens." Henry's voice cut through Nicaise's thoughts, and when he looked over the guy was looking up at the domed ceiling and thousands of seats circling around the stands.  
"Does this place actually get filled?" he heard himself ask.  
"Sells out most of the time," Henry replied. This time when Nicaise glanced over, Henry was looking at him.  
"What position are you?"  
"Whatever you want me to be." The words were out his mouth before he could stop to think about the context of Henry's question, and by that point the guy was grinning.  
"One court," he clarified.  
"Back liner," Nicaise said. "You?"  
"Defense dealer."  
"What's Robin?"  
"Goalie."  
Nicaise hummed as Henry lead him back through the tunnel to the foyer. "You not asking what Neil's position is?"  
"If I think about him and positions, I'll get hard," Nicaise muttered and Henry grinned but nodded.   
"I'll show you the gear cupboard and then we'll get you changed and see how you hold up on court," he said.   
When they went back in the foyer, the rest of the Foxes had shown up, along with Wymack and Winifield.  
"Sit," Wymack barked and Nicaise let Henry pull him over  to the beanbags. "So." The man clapped his hands once and Nicaise fought a full-body shudder. Fuck.  
"First things first; our newest back liner. You've met him, you've lived with him, now he's dorming with Josten and Wang. Does anyone have any questions?"  
"Will he have to be sober to be allowed on court or will he have a deal like Andrew did?"   
Nicaise looked over at the girl who had spoken. She was easily the hottest one on the team. Alice, he thought her name was.  
"That depends on if he relapses and how his highs affect his ability to play," Wymack said. "And we won't know that unless it happens." He looked around at the team before continuing. "Second; our routine goes back to normal. For the remainder of break, we meet here at eight and then go to gym at nine. Come the start of term, we meet at the gym for six. If you're late it's your own fault."   
Nicaise gulped; Henry really hadn't been making that up after all.   
"Third; everyone had better keep their grades the fuck up - if you drop your grades, you're benched until you get them back up. No exceptions. Fourth; all of you had better still have my number programmed into your phones, along with Abby's and Betsy's."  
He held eye contact with Nicaise for a beat longer than the others as he said that and Nicaise tried to fight the way his body was wanting to arch for the man. Fuck. How the bloody fuck was he so hot?   
"Fifth; none of your asses are getting on court until Abby's done your physical and cleared you. Yes, they're getting done today. Once you're cleared you can go on court. At some point today you'll all be seeing Betsy - same routine as always, go in pairs or groups. Figure it out for yourselves, I'm not pairing your asses up."  
He looked around at them all. "Anyone got any questions? No? Great. Josten, you're up first for physicals because we both know you'll skip it otherwise. Shoo. The rest of you, stay."   
With that, he walked out the room and Josten followed behind.  
Nicaise swallowed, glancing at Henry and then over to where Robin was sitting stoic on the left sofa, in the corner as if the empty seats were full. When she ignored him, he sighed and leant back in the beanbag to wait, trying not to let his mind drift to images of Coach _topless_ and _sweaty_ and _barking orders out at-_  
Fuck.

When Josten came back, all he said was "Jack," as he continued towards what Nicaise assumed was the locker room. Jack stood up and left the foyer, and the doors swung shut behind him. Josten came out a few minutes later in his uniform and Nicaise bit back a whine. He headed along another corridor, and Nicaise heard more doors getting unlocked.  
"Gear cupboard," Henry explained when he saw Nicaise's expression. "Your uniforms will be in there too, so go fetch them after Abby clears you."  
Josten returned a moment later, carrying his racquet, gloves and helmet, along with a bucket full of balls. He didn't say anything, just beelined for the tunnel to court.  
Henry raised an eyebrow at Nicaise, smiling slightly when he got glared at.  
Jack came back about ten minutes later, muttered "Matty," and disappeared into the locker room. Matthew stood up, disappearing up the hallway.  
Next it was Alice, then Trisha, then Ben, then Henry. When Henry came back he tilted his head.  
"Your turn, Omega."  
Nicaise flipped him off but got up from the beanbag and headed through the doors, walking up the hall until he got back to the door with the cross on it. He knocked as he pushed it open and Winifield smiled when she saw him.  
"Nicaise," she greeted as he shut the door behind himself. "Shirt off, and sit over on the bed for me."  
Biting back his automatic remark about her choice of words, Nicaise obediently tugged his t-shirt off over his head and dropped it next to himself as he sat up on the medical bench.   
"Do you actually need to do anythin' since you've been checkin' me every day at the house?"   
Winifield raised a brow at him as she unclipped her watch from her top. "I only checked you every few days, and weighed you every week. None of those checks were official and they weren't anything close to a full physical examination."  
Nicaise widened his eyes in a faux innocent expression he knew didn't fool her for a second. "Is that your way of tellin' me to strip, Doc?"  
"Behave," she scolded though there wasn't much heat in her voice.  
Sighing, Nicaise shut up and forced himself not to react when she put the cold stethoscope against his chest. He let her examine his arms for track marks and cuts, and take his weight.   
"You're good for playing, but I'm going to give you a meal plan to stick to - if you lose any weight, you're benched until you gain it back and then some. Is that clear?"  
"Crystal," he chirped as he pulled his shirt back on and headed for the door.  
"And tell Stephanie to come through," Winifield called after him as he went down the hallway.    
When he went back into the foyer, he headed for the double doors Josten had gone through for his gear. "Doll, you're up next," he said and Stephanie looked over at him before standing and heading for the doors.  
"Are you trying to get in another fight with Jack?" Robin asked and Nicaise shrugged.  
"Last I checked, he can't hear through plexiglass. And a hallway. And a tunnel."  
Robin glowered and Keith glanced over at Nicaise.  
"Henry took your stuff into the changing room," he said as Nicaise got to the doors. Sighing, he spun on his heel and went across the floor to the changing room.  
Inside, Henry was sitting in full warm up gear and uniform on one of the benches.  
"Shouldn't you be on court?" Nicaise asked and Henry shrugged.  
"Figured someone ought to explain these rooms to you."  
"Because I've never been in a changing room, shower or bathroom before."  
Henry rolled his eyes but gestured behind himself. "Yours is next to mine. I already took everything out the packs for you - you just have to set your locker code."  
"Thanks," Nicaise said as he swung the metal door open, taking out the orange uniform since everyone else had gone for that one. "Is the white for away games?"  
"Yeah," Henry said with a nod, not bothering to look away when Nicaise started stripping. "You know those are all going to have to come out before you get on court, right?"   
"What are gonna have to come out?" Nicaise asked, though he already knew the answer.  
"All your piercings," Henry clarified. And then, "which you already know. Come on."  
Huffing, Nicaise stepped out of his jeans, glancing over at where Henry was still watching him.  
"The bathroom's got mirrors, right?"  
"Through there and on your left," the guy said, tilting his head to the door in the corner.  
In the mirror, Nicaise took his snakebites out first, then his medusa and septum, before methodically removing his cartridge ones from his ears, working his way down from industrial to lobe. After they were all out and sitting neatly on the counter, he carefully scooped them into his palm and went back through to the locker room, dropping them in his locker.  
Henry gestured to his own collarbones and Nicaise shook his head. "Those ones don't come out."  
"You're a backliner and you expect them not to get torn out with body checks?"  
"I'm good enough at blocking that no one gets to body check me," Nicaise sighed, as he started pulling his under armour on and checking the straps on everything as he went.  
Henry frowned but didn't argue, sitting silently on the bench for Nicaise to be dressed before he lead him out the changing room and over to the gear cupboard, handing him a clearly beaten up racquet.   
"Coach won't order you your own until we figure out which weight you can deal with, so until that happens you're stuck with standard," was all the guy said as Nicaise took the stick, stepping back to give it a few experimental swings.  
"Are there any heavier ones? This feels way lighter than what I normally use."  
Henry raised a brow but took the stick back, flipping through the wrack for a few seconds before lifting out a clearly heavier racquet and handing it over. Nicaise swung it, nodding as he felt the security of the weight of it in his grip.  
"Yeah, this one's better."  
He followed Henry across the foyer and down the tunnel to the court, pausing when they got to the plexiglass walls. Henry opened the first door which lead to the outer court, banging loudly on the glass for the others to stop before he opened the door to inner court and stepped onto the scuffed floor, Nicaise on his heels.  
"Finally," Josten called and Nicaise gulped.   
"Let me guess; getting a quick fuck over a bench before training starts?" Jack's voice asked.  
"Fuck off," Henry cut in before Nicaise could open his mouth to bite out a reply. He pouted at the older guy but Henry ignored him, instead walking over to where the handful of Foxes were gathered near the centre of the court.  
"No jumping and no taking bait," Henry muttered under his breath as they got closer and Nicaise huffed.  
"You're a backliner, right?" Josten asked and Nicaise nodded. "Let's see how you hold up in a scrimmage."  
"Who's my mark?" As soon as the words were out his mouth he could see Josten smirk slightly behind his grate.  
"Me."  
Fuck.  
Nicaise forced himself to keep walking and take his position across from Josten. He tried to focus, but as soon as Henry dealt the ball and he heard the solid _smack_ of it in someone's racquet, he could feel _everything_ ** _\- could hear Reg's voice shouting commands, could see the crowd of people surrounding the pit they were playing in, could see Laurent's terrified eyes as they ran towards each other-_**  
Josten knocked Nicaise's racquet out of his grip and Nicaise yelped, flinching slightly when it landed on the floor and skidded away.  
He expected questions. He expected Josten to demand what had happened - **_why he hadn't been focused, why hadn't he been paying attention. He expected Reg's voice and whispered threats and hands and Laurent's pleading voice and-_**  
"Again," Josten said.  
Nicaise forced himself to walk over and pick his racquet up and get back in starting position. His cock was throbbing behind the protective cup under his shorts, but he swallowed and tried to ignore it.   
This time when Josten ran at him, Nicaise met him halfway, blocking his swing and pushing him back. Josten tried to go around him, but Nicaise pushed him back again. When Josten tried to body check him, Nicaise forced him away again.  And again. And again. Always keeping him at arms length with their racquets. When Josten pushed him back to run for the ball, Nicaise chased on his heels, counting their steps and anticipating Josten's next serve against the plexiglass. As Josten turned to push him away, Nicaise blocked his racquet and countered his footwork, keeping him from catching the rebounding ball as it whizzed past their helmets. They went back and forth across the court with Josten always one step ahead but Nicaise always anticipating and blocking him. The first time Josten made a move towards goal, Nicaise blocked his swing and knocked the ball out of his racquet, forcing him back again. And again. And again.   
Josten was trying different tricks, some of which were probably Raven, and others that he must have picked up from playing for years, but Nicaise blocked every swing and every attempted run on goal.  
By the time there was a bang on the plexiglass and Nicaise looked over to see Coach standing there with his arm against the wall, he had blocked over thirty attempts on goal from Josten, and he could tell the guy was getting frustrated. He was a good striker. But Nicaise was a better backliner.  
"Doe, Wang, you're up first for Betsy," Coach yelled as soon as he opened the door. The other Foxes were crowded in the outer court, apparently watching the small group sparring. "You two, take their places," Coach barked with a vague gesture to the group.   
Nicaise started across court with Henry jogging to catch up as Stephanie and Jake walked on.  
"What the fuck are the rest of you still doing standing around? Get your asses on court and stop wasting my oxygen." The rest of the Foxes filed on court, wearing a mix of grins and confused expressions as they passed Nicaise and Henry.  
As they passed Coach, Nicaise thought he saw what looked like a repressed smile on the man's face.   
"Holy fucking shit," Henry breathed when they got to the changing room. "You never said you could play like that."  
"Play like what?" Nicaise asked and Henry looked at him in disbelief.  
"Neil is the best fucking striker ever - he's almost better than Kevin fucking Day. He can get past any defense line. He can outrun literally every mark he's had. And you just did that to him? Like it was nothing?"  
Nicaise shrugged, pulling his jersey off.   
"I grew up playing against better strikers than him," was all he said. "Do we bother getting showered before seeing Dobson or is it just the armour that comes off?"   
Henry was still staring at him but managed to get out a response and Nicaise headed to the showers. There were over twenty stalls with lockable doors but Nicaise left his open, since it was just Henry in the room with him. While Henry got dried, Nicaise went through to the bathroom to put his piercings back in. By the time he came out, Henry was dressed and waiting on the bench for him. The guy watched him get dressed, eyes tracing over all of Nicaise's tattoos, but he never asked what they were for no matter how curious he looked.  
"What're we seein' Dobson for anyway? She said I didn't need to see her unless I get laid or jack off before the six weeks are up," he said as he followed Henry out the locker room and through the building to the car park.   
"It's obligatory," Henry sighed as they got outside.  "We all have to see her at least once a semester, just for half an hour. It's just a psych eval, to make sure we're not going to kill each other or ourselves and are handling classes and playing and shit."  
Nicaise hummed, climbing up into Henry's jeep. "Does anyone see her for actual sessions?"  
"Robin, Neil, Jack, Trish, and Hunter all do," he said as he started the engine, the stereo cutting on a second later. "Neil's probably going to see her more often now that Andrew's gone, same with Robin. Jack sees her once every two or three weeks. Trish and Hunter see her once a month or so. Andrew used to see her every week." Henry pulled out of the lot, glancing over at Nicaise. "How much longer do you have to last before you're allowed to get off?"  
"Two weeks," Nicaise groaned. "I think she timed it so that I have to start classes and studyin' first."  
Henry snorted, shaking his head as they went around a corner. "You think you're going to last? The first week back is always a killer."  
"Oh now I feel great about it, thanks so much for the confidence boost," Nicaise quipped and the guy laughed.   
When they got to the office building- Reddin, according to Henry - Nicaise followed him to the elevator. They got out on the fourth floor and Nicaise took the clipboard the receptionist handed him, filling it out while Henry chatted to the blonde and she checked over his details to make sure they were still the same as the last time he had been there. The blonde smiled as Nicaise handed the form back, gesturing for the two of them to go to the waiting area as she clicked a few things on her computer.   
Grimacing slightly, Nicaise flopped down on one of the thirty or so latex chairs, and Henry quirked an eyebrow at him as he took the opposite seat.  
"Would've thought you'd be a fan of latex."  
_Latex_ _was what had been pulled over the bed before Nicaise had gotten cuffed to the headboard. Latex was what Her gloves had smelled of as She had pulled his mouth open and forced the spiked milk down his throat. Latex was what Her gloves had tasted of when She had covered his mouth to make him swallow the mixture. Latex was-_  
"What can I say, I prefer leather," Nicaise sighed as he forced himself not to react to the flashbacks. Henry shrugged, leaning back in the chair and Nicaise physically restrained himself from flinching at the sound Henry's skin made against the material as he rested his arms over the sides.  
A door clicked quietly and Dobson appeared in the hall a few seconds later. "Nicaise," she greeted and he stood up, following her down the hall and into a room, biting his cheek when he heard her shut the door behind them. He flopped down on the sofa, tilting his head back to look around the room. The entire far wall was covered in book cases, the top two shelves of each decorated in snowglobes and ornaments. The opposite wall was made up of a large window, looking over the parking lot and buildings outside.   
Dobson sat down on the armchair opposite Nicaise, crossing her legs as she took out her notepad and pen.  
"It's been a while," she began.  
"Too long, Shrinky-dink," Nicaise chirped. "Thought you'd forgotten bout me or somethin'."  
She smiled, leaning back in the chair as she looked at him lounging on the sofa.  
"I could never forget about you, Nicaise," she said and he laughed. He'd said that line so many times he knew it when he heard it.   
She tapped her pen against the paper three times. "Today isn't going to be a full session, and I'm not going to ask about your addictions if you don't want to talk about them. The main purpose of today's session is to see how you feel about your team mates, who you're sharing a dorm with, and how you think you're going to settle in here at Palmetto. But everything discussed in this room will have the same level of confidentiality as any other official session. Is that alright with you?"  
"Sure," he shrugged. "Teammates; I haven't fucked Steph again, and I haven't gotten in any more fights. Didn't even tackle him at practice today."   
"That's all very positive," she said as she began scribbling down shorthand notes.   
"And I'm roomin' with Henry and Cap, so that'll be weird since I've been stayin' in Robin's room this whole time."  
"Do you think it's going to be upsetting not sharing a room with her anymore?"  
"No," he said. "It'll be good not havin' to wake up to her stupid alarm anymore."  
"How do you feel about Henry and Neil? Do you think the three of you will get along in a dorm together?"  
"Henry's cool. I don't know much bout Cap though, but he seems alright." He shrugged and Dobson hummed as she wrote more down, tapping her pen three times before asking her next question.   
The continued like that for the whole half hour, and Nicaise fought the urge to bolt as soon as the bitch opened the door for him. He went back to the waiting area, flopping down on the seat as Henry stood up and disappeared down the hallway. Once he heard the door click shut, Nicaise groaned and slouched back in the chair.   
Fuck.  
Henry came back after half an hour and they left, driving in silence back to the stadium. When they got to the foyer, Coach was waiting by the entrance to court. "Turn around," he said and Nicaise raised a brow at the man. "Abby wants you-" he pointed at Nicaise, "-back in the dorm early today. And you're-" he pointed at Henry, "-already buddied with him, so you're going back too. Stop by Abby's room on the way out. Now get your asses out of here."  
Obediently, Nicaise turned and the pair walked back out the foyer and up the hall. He knocked on Winifield's door before pushing it open.  
"Nicaise," she said. "Is anyone with you?"  
"I can go get the car turned on," Henry said and Winifield shook her head.  
"No, I need someone else to make sure this gets followed up." As she spoke, she handed two sheets of paper to Nicaise. "This is the meal plan I need you to follow - and that I need someone to make sure you stick to. It's quite simple, but it needs to be consistent. Henry and Neil are both used to basic meal plans so can help you, but this is more detailed than theirs."  
"How come I have to leave practice early today?" he asked as he glanced over the the paper, flipping through the two pages and glancing st the tables drawn up.  
"Because I heard you gave Neil a run for his money earlier, and I don't want you burning too many calories since you've also been moving into the dorm and having to help Henry with all his furniture. That's more than enough exercise for you today, considering I doubt you've ate anything since breakfast."  
Nicaise shrugged, folding the paper up and tucking it in the back of his waistband.   
"Fair and square, Doc," he said as he turned and went back out the door, Henry walking quickly to catch up.   
"Neil's going to be a while," the guy said as they got back into the Jeep. "So you're stuck with helping me unpack. But we're getting takeout first because Abby is scary when she's upset and you're not getting to argue, Omega."  
Rolling his eyes, Nicaise sat back in the leather seat as Henry pulled away.  He had a feeling he wasn't getting to say no this time.  
...  
Back at the Tower, Henry made Nicaise sit on the counter as they ate their takeout.   
"I can eat after-"  
"You're eating now," Henry cut in, boxing Nicaise in with his arms on either side of his waist when Nicaise tried to move off the counter top. "And you're finishing that whole container," he added, ignoring Nicaise's whine when the guy stepped between his legs.  
"That's a low blow," Nicaise pouted and Henry shrugged.  
"It's working though."  
Groaning, Nicaise went back to forcing down the Chinese noodles and vegetables, trying to ignore how interested his cock was getting in Henry's methods.  
After they were both finished the meal, Henry picked up Nicaise's backpack and his own bag of clothes, before leading them through to the bedrooms. "Josten's probably going to want the single room, so we'll be in the double. You can have the bunk bed."   
Nicaise dumped his bag on the bottom bunk and went back through to the living room to help Henry set up the TV  and organise the collections of movies and CDs before they set the stereo and speakers up.  
Over an hour later, they were still hanging Henry's clothes up when the dorm door opened and shut. Josten appeared in the doorway a few seconds later.  
"We figured you'd want the single room," Henry said in place of a greeting. "And there's takeout in the oven if you want it."  
"Thanks," Josten said and Nicaise grit his teeth. "Coach said you've to go down to Resources tomorrow and get your classes sorted out." He handed a small booklet to Nicaise. "Spend tonight picking them out then get them in place and on a time table tomorrow. They'll give you a map of the campus too."  
Nicaise nodded and Josten left. After the door down the hallway clicked, Henry started laughing quietly and Nicaise groaned, flopping on the bed as he scrubbed his hands over his face.   
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised if I hear you moaning about captains in your sleep," Henry started, cackling when Nicaise threw a pillow at him.  
He was so fucked. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you need anything else tagged, let me know.  
> Happy Halloween or All Hallows Eve to those who celebrate it; happy Eid or Divali to anyone celebrating either of those. And stay safe this time of year :)
> 
> ~ If you're waiting for an update to Capri-Sons, it'll be up in time for Bonfire night (November 5th) ~


	6. Chapter Five: Family isn't about Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil mentions Nicaise's skills to Andrew, who decides a night out at Eden's is the best option.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC
> 
> TW FOR:  
> Underage drug use  
> Reference to previous heavier underage drug use  
> Reference to implied child abuse  
> Andrew roofies Nicaise   
> Mentions/ implications of rape (but it doesn't happen)  
> Flashbacks   
> Addictions  
> Sex addiction   
> Mentions of underage sex   
> Nicaise being horny af as always 
> 
> If you need anything else tagged, let me know

Neil sighed as he slumped in his chair. The semester hadn't even started yet and he was already exhausted. They had less than a week left of break, and a few weeks until the season officially started, and he wasn't sure how much longer it would take the team to fall into their hierarchy without Kevin and the cousins to act as a base. Henry seemed to think it would happen quicker without them, but Neil doubted it.  
Everything was harder without Andrew. The blonde had grounded Neil for the last four years, had held him up, had stood in his corner whenever he was needed. And now he and Kevin were in a whole different state from Neil.  
As if on cue, his laptop screen lit up with a Skype call request. He answered as soon as he saw the username, feeling his shoulders relax when he saw Andrew's blank expression. Kevin was moving around in the background, presumably on his phone.  
"Hey," he murmured.  
"You're not dead." Andrew's voice was monotone as always and Neil felt himself smile slightly.   
"Not yet," he said. "I'm pretty hard to kill, according to you."  
Andrew huffed slightly and Neil got more comfortable in his seat. "How are things in New Orleans?"  
"Boring, obviously."  
"And the new team?"  
"A bunch of idiots," he answered instantly. "Training started yesterday and Kevin almost had a fit over their techniques. I don't know why he chose this team."  
"Thea's on it, and so is Knox," Neil pointed out and Andrew glared at the screen. "It's a shame he didn't stick around to do assistant coaching for a year," he heard himself say. "He'd like Nicaise."  
Andrew raised an eyebrow slightly so Neil continued. "He's a backliner - I only got past him once in drills yesterday, Drew. Once. He shut me out completely, blocked every move on goal, kept up with me, and kept me far enough away I couldn't even body check him. And his footwork is amazing - he knew Raven footwork."  
"Everyone knows Raven footwork," Andrew deadpanned. "It's not complicated to learn."  
"But he knew other stuff too," Neil said. "Stuff I've never even seen - stuff better than the Ravens, Drew. He's better than any other backliner I've seen on any team. And he knows it. He knows he's good but it's almost like he doesn't care - like he expects everyone to be as good as him. Like he's used to playing against people just as good or maybe even better."  
Andrew was frowning at the camera now. "He's the new freshmen you don't understand."   
Neil nodded. "Bee and Abby are working on him, and he's got a constant buddy system in place so he can't be left alone to try to relapse. Henry's worried about how he's going to react once the semester starts."  
Andrew hummed. "Has he tried anything with anyone on the team?"  
"He hooked up with Stephanie when he first got here, but he's not touched anyone since," Neil said. "He's got some sort of bet running with Bee."  
"Where did Wymack get him from?"  
"Juvie," Neil said with a frown as he thought. "He didn't actually say much about the kid's background - just that he was in juvie, but was in the foster system before that. I don't know when he got into exy, but he's been playing for years. No one can be that good if they're new to it."  
"Which state?"  
"New York. But his accent says he grew up in Chicago."  
Andrew was silent for a few seconds. In the background, Neil could make out Kevin speaking and pacing, and idly wondered who he was on the phone to. His attention went back to andrew when the man hummed. "Bring him with you on Friday," he said.   
Neil frowned, confused. "I'm going somewhere on Friday?" he asked and Andrew huffed.  
"Eden's. I'll meet you at Sweeties. Bring Robin, too. And make sure you all wear something decent."  
The video call ended before Neil could form a response.   
What the fuck?

...

 

Gritting his teeth, Nicaise turned the shower off, quickly drying off before pulling his boxers on and padding through to the locker room. A few of the other guys were already getting dressed, but Henry was still in the shower, so Nicaise collected the tin from his locker and went through to the bathroom to put his piercings back in. He had left his dermals and belly button bar in during training, but all the others had came out at Henry's stubborn orders. Then again, the Foxes didn't seem as clean as the other teams he had played on while having his piercings, so maybe it was for the best. The last thing he needed was for one of them to ruin his face.  
By the time he had his medusa and septum back in place, Henry was leaning on the counter next to him and watching intently, a towel wrapped around his waist.  
"Keep lookin' at me like that and I might have to strip for you," Nicaise  
hummed and Henry smirked.  
"Surprised you've still got your boxers on," he said easily. Nicaise shot him a glare but couldn't speak as he put his snakebites back in before starting on his ears.  
Henry looked over towards the door and Nicaise glanced over when it opened.  
"Ben said you were both in here," Josten said in place of a greeting. Nicaise tried not to visibly react when the man focused his gaze on him - those eyes-  
"If you don't have anything you can wear to a club, go out with Robin and buy something. You're coming out with us tonight."  
"You're taking him to Eden's?" Henry asked, and Nicaise noticed something other than surprise in his voice. Something almost close to dread.  
"Andrew wants to meet him," Josten replied with a sigh. "He's meeting us at Sweeties at ten." His eyes caught Nicaise's. "Be ready for nine. He doesn't like being kept waiting."  
Nicaise managed to wait for the door to close behind Josten before he let himself whimper.  
"You don't have to go if you don't want to," Henry said but Nicaise shook his head.  
"I want to," he said as he leant forward on the counter, trying not to rut against the edge of it. "That's the problem."  
Henry was frowning at him. "Andrew's probably going to drug you," he said quietly, grimacing when Nicaise's hips stuttered. "That's standard protocol for him if he invited you out." As he spoke, he walked around behind Nicaise, gently pulling his hips back from the counter so he couldn't get any friction. Ignoring Nicaise's whine, Henry wrapped his arms around the smaller man's torso, holding him in a tight hug. "Keep putting your piercings in," he murmured and Nicaise gulped, but forced his hands to do as told, looking at their reflections as he did. "Andrew won't fuck you or even try to make out with you," Henry continued softly. "Neither will Neil or Robin. Andrew's gay, but he's only interested in Neil, and he doesn't do drunk or high hook ups."  
"Then why will he give me drugs?" Nicaise asked.  
"To get answers," Henry said with a frown. "He thinks you're a threat to Neil somehow. And he's extremely territorial. He'll drug you to make you more honest and unable to fight or argue coherently, and then forget how much you told him."  
Nicaise gulped, staring at their reflections. "What sort of club is it?" he asked eventually.   
"The sort you'll fit in fine at if you show up looking like a leather twink," Henry answered before pointedly glancing down Nicaise's front. "Are we using cold water or are you going to manage to wait it out?"  
Nicaise huffed but turned the cold tap on in answer.  
"Good boy," Henry murmured, kissing his cheek.

...

He killed time by making and eating dinner with Henry before he went to get ready. He hadn't brought his preferred clubbing clothes but he had a simple outfit which would do, since he couldn't be bothered shopping in this heat. How the fuck did people function when it was so hot all the time, anyway?  
His bag was still laying on the top bunk, and he wasn't going to unpack until he knew he'd have the dorm to himself for long enough to hide the more valuable items. When Henry had asked why Nicaise wasn't unpacking the night before, Nicaise had shrugged it off. "It's just clothes and stuff in there," he had said and Henry had laughed.  
"That's the point. You're supposed to have them to hand, not in a bag," the man had said. When Nicaise still hadn't moved to get his backpack from the top bunk, Henry had dropped the matter.  
Nicaise shut the bedroom door behind himself before climbing up to the top bunk and opening his backpack. The first two layers of clothes were just normal ones, so he moved them onto the bed. Next he carefully lifted out the wooden box, placing it on the bed before he took out the clothes at the bottom of the bag, laying them next to himself before putting the box and normal clothes back in and slipping down the ladder.  
Normally when he went clubbing he dressed with the intention of the clothes being easy as fuck to get back out of as quickly as humanly possible. Even though these clothes didn't leave much to the imagination, they weren't easy to get back out of either. But he didn't really have any other options.  
Grumbling quietly, he stripped but hesitated when he reached for the waistband of his boxers. Usually he would spend a while prepping himself and go commando, to make things easier and quicker. But Henry had been certain Andrew wouldn't be fucking Nicaise. And Nicaise was just two weeks away from winning his bet with Dobson.   
Reluctantly, he left his boxers on and sat down on one of the rungs of the ladder to pull his leggings on. They were black leather, with bootlaces up the outsides rather than seams. It took a few minutes, but eventually they were up to his pelvis and he started tightening up the laces enough that there was only an inch or two of skin visible all the way up his legs before tying them at the waistband. The leggings were low cut, sitting below his hips and just underneath the end of his v-line.  
Next he pulled on a black fishnet vest followed by a black crop top which was almost transparent. He pulled the backpack to the edge of the bed, fishing his tin case out of the front pocket before heading through to the bathroom. Henry and Josten were through in the kitchen, arguing or at least trying not to argue, if the harsh hissing and muffled voices were anything to go by.  
He switched out his piercings, going for wider hoops instead of snakebite studs, and a sapphire gem for his medusa, then a plain hoop through his septum to match his snakebites. His plain industrial bar got swapped for a sapphire jeweled one with a silver bar, and then the rest of his cartridge piercings got a mix of silver, green and blue gem studs in them. He left his dermals, and swapped his plain belly button bar for a sapphire tipped one, which stood out more against his outfit.  
Satisfied they were all secure, he moved on to his makeup, lining his eyes with black and grey koal, smudging it slightly around the edges, adding a hint of glitter to his inner eye, then doing his mascara. Once he was happy with his eyes he moved onto his hair, quickly running some clay through it enough to emphasise his curls but still leave it messy.  
By the time Henry came to look for him, Nicaise was back in their room sitting on his bed as he did his Doc Martins up.  
"Your buddy system is still in play tonight," he said. "You're with Robin for the trip there and back. But at the club you're with Andrew."  
Nicaise glanced up at Henry's tone. "How much shit is he gonna give me?"  
"I don't know," Henry sighed. "He never did it to me, only to Robin, Jack and - and Neil." Nicaise tilted his head but didn't comment on Henry's near slip - who's name had he been about to say?  
"The more you cooperate with him and the less you lie, the less drugs he'll put you on."   
Nicaise swallowed, finishing lacing his boots up. "Are you waitin' up for us?" he asked.  
"You won't be back till tomorrow," Henry said quietly.  
"But you said he's not gonna fuck me."  
"He'll fuck Neil," Henry pointed out. "He's got a house in Colombia, where his lot normally stay overnight so no one's driving back down the interstate wasted at two in the morning."  
Nicaise let out a breath. "Okay," he said. And then, "How hot do Cap and Watson look now?"  
Henry smirked. "Robin's hotter than hell, and Josten looks good enough to eat."   
Nicaise groaned. "What about Andrew? How hot will he be?"  
Henry licked his lips, before taking his phone out, thumbing over the screen a few times before he found what he was looking for and handed it over to Nicaise. On the screen was a fit blonde guy in a long sleeved black tee and black skinny jeans, leaning against the stadium wall with a cigarette in front of his lips, pinched between his fingers as he let out a mouthful of smoke. His arms alone made Nicaise's mouth water.  
"Now imagine him in leather," Henry added and Nicaise whimpered, looking up from the screen.   
"He's as hot as this guy?"  
"That guy is him," Henry said and Nicaise looked back to the screen. "And he's got a really hot drawl," the man added. "Sweet as lemonade and real slow."  
Nicaise swore, letting Henry take his phone back.   
He stood up, following Henry back up the hallway to the main room where Robin and Josten were waiting. As soon as he saw their outfits, he gulped. He was so fucked.

...

He sat in silence in the back of Josten's Lamborghini.  
Up front, Robin was in the passenger seat wearing a black and purple diamanté mini dress which was tight enough it looked like a second skin, and thigh high stiletto boots with her hair back combed and pinned in place.   
Josten was in charcoal skinny jeans and a black Henley with a leather jacket, his hair mussed and a subtle line of pencil around his eyes. Henry hadn't been exaggerating, and Nicaise had spent the entirety of the car ride so far trying not to get hard since there was no way to hide it in his leggings.  
Robin alternated between texting and looking out the window, and Nicaise assumed it was Andrew she was texting.  
Almost an hour later, Josten pulled into a parking lot outside a diner. It was reasonably busy, considering the time of night. Josten and Robin both got out so Nicaise followed, climbing out through Robin's door when she pushed the seat forward for him. By the time he had straightened up and shut the door, Josten was halfway across the lot. On the other side was a black Masaratti, and Nicaise gulped when he saw the blonde from Henry's photo leaning against the trunk with a cigarette in his hand.  
Nicaise was beyond fucked.  
In person, Andrew was five foot nothing, with arms which could bench press Nicaise and thighs which could probably snap his neck. The photo on Henry's phone hadn't done the man justice.  
He gripped the back of Josten's neck, pulling him in close and resting their foreheads against each other. Even though they didn't kiss, it felt as if they had from where Nicaise and Robin were standing a few feet away, Robin's arm in front of Nicaise to stop him from walking any closer.  
Josten murmured something in a language Nicaise didn't understand. In response, Andrew let his neck go and shot a glare at Josten when the redhead stole his cigarette but made no move to take it back.  
Nicaise shivered when the man's gaze landed on him. "You're the fresh meat." His voice was monotone and disinterested and so fucking hot.  
"You're the boyfriend I got warned about." He hoped his voice came out even.  
Andrew didn't react and Nicaise could feel his cock starting to twitch from the complete and utter lack of emotion on the man's face.  
Before he could say anything else to try to get a reaction from the blonde, Robin gripped his arm and hauled him behind her towards the diner. Josten followed, with Andrew at the back. Nicaise stood against Robin as they waited for a table, then followed closely behind her as the hostess lead them through the crowded floor until they got to a booth at the back of the room. Robin sat down first and slid along, her grip on Nicaise's arm forcing him to follow suit. Josten and Andrew slid in after, and Nicaise noticed the distance between their bodies, how neither touched the other, even by accident.  
The hostess left and Nicaise raised an eyebrow at Josten across the table from him. "This is a real funny lookin' club, Captain," he said, forcing himself to smirk as he leant back in the faux leather seat. "If I'd known we were comin' here I would've dressed up."  
"We're going to the club after here," Josten said in a tone Nicaise assumed was meant to sound bored, but was just a few tones off. Clearly his boyfriend was more important than watching himself.  
Nicaise shrugged, reaching for a menu but yelped when Robin slapped his hand away. "The fuck was that for?"  
"We're ordering for you," was all she said and Nicaise hummed, holding his hands up in surrender as he leant back again.  
"Takin' me out, buyin' me dinner, payin' for me - I should be charmed, I'm sure."  
"Didn't think you could be charmed," Josten muttered and Nicaise grinned at him. His gaze caught on Andrew, and he forced himself not to gulp at how intently the man was watching him.  
"So who picked up whose starin' habit then?" he asked, letting himself slide down the seat as he spread his arms and legs out, holding eye contact with Andrew the whole time. "It's flatterin', really. You can get a closer look if you want. I won't mind."  
"Why would I give you the satisfaction?" Andrew retorted and Nicaise's mouth went dry. He was distantly aware of the fact he had whined but he couldn't care. A waitress appeared and Josten ordered but Nicaise didn't hear a word he said. All he could think about was Andrew - Andrew with his thighs around Nicaise's neck, trapping him - Andrew with his cock shoved down Nicaise's throat - Andrew with his arms pinning Nicaise down while he-  
Robin's heel connected with Nicaise's leg and he flinched, turning to glare at her.   
"Stop eye fucking him," she muttered and Nicaise pouted.  
The waitress returned, putting four drinks and large bowls of ice cream in front of them. Nicaise forced himself to start eating after Robin shot another death glare at him.  
Time crawled by, Nicaise shoving his ice cream around the bowl until the others had finished. Andrew glanced at the half eaten bowl and then gestured for the waitress to bring the bill.  
When they left the diner, Josten fished his keys out of his front pocket and threw them at Robin without glancing at her before following Andrew to the Masaratti. Robin walked Nicaise across the lot to the Lamborghini, not saying a word as they slid in.   
She didn't speak as she reversed out of the lot, following the Masaratti down the street.   
"Watson-"  
"Shut up."  
Nicaise grimaced but shut up.  
Less than twenty minutes later, they pulled in behind the Masaratti outside a club. In front of them, Josten and Andrew got out the car, Andrew heading over to the bouncers and Josten getting into the driver's seat.   
"Out." Robin's voice was flat and Nicaise bit his tongue, obediently getting out of the car and heading over to where Andrew was doing some sort of handshake with the bouncers. They handed over two passes, which Andrew took back to the cars, handing one to Josten and one to Robin before he headed back to Nicaise.   
"Let's go." His voice was still monotone and Nicaise followed him, ignoring the line as they went in the door.   
Immediately, Nicaise's ears were assaulted by the music, the bass moving through his body like a pulse, the lights distorting everything in sight. He followed Andrew through the crowd, trying to look around while not losing track of the blonde. There were three floors, and they were on the ground one - they walked past a staircase leading up, and Nicaise assumed it was private booths up there. He'd been in more than a few, usually as a bargaining chip or a bribe. On the ground floor was a balcony which overlooked the dance floor below them.  
Andrew lead him past tables and up to the bar, greeting the barman that came over to them. The man walked off and Nicaise assumed Andrew was waiting for someone specific.   
A few moments later, a dark skinned man walked over to them, grinning and showing off his dimples. "And here I was thinking I wasn't going to get to see your face until it was all over the sports channel," he said.  
"And here I was thinking you had a brain," Andrew retorted and the man laughed. It was a hot laugh. A hot laugh for a hot guy.  
"Which poisons is it tonight?"  
"The usual for me, Neil and Robin." He looked to Nicaise. "And whatever the kid is having."  
Nicaise smiled sweetly. "Whatever you recommend," he said in a too-innocent tone he knew didn't fool Andrew for a second.  
Behind the bar, the man raised his brows. "Twink's with you?"  
Andrew nodded and the man got started mixing drinks.   
Once there were six drinks on the tray, the man got a glass full of ice and two sealed cans of cola.   
"These two are yours," he said to Nicaise as he gestured to two tall glasses full of a liquid which looked like a mix of vodka and windix.   
Andrew lifted the tray up onto his shoulder and Nicaise followed him through the crowd until they got to the table where Neil and Robin were waiting for them.   
Nicaise hopped up onto the stool opposite Robin as Andrew sat on the one between Nicaise and Josten. He handed the drinks out and Nicaise took a sip from one of his, swirling the drink around in his mouth for a few seconds before swallowing and grinning at Andrew.   
"You know," he said. "If you wanna date rape me, you should've gone with and better drug than cracker dust. It takes forever to kick in."  
Andrew gave him a bored look. "If we were going to rape you, I wouldn't have bothered drugging you. You'd roll over for us without a second thought."  
Nicaise hummed. The man had a point. Shrugging, he lifted his glass up and began chugging it, holding eye contact with Andrew the entire time. In his peripheral vision he could see Josten and Robin staring at him in disbelief, Josten's hand frozen in mid air while pouring his cola into the glass.  
When the glass was empty, Nicaise put it on the table and simply raised a brow at the blonde.  
"You fucking idiot," he said.  
Nicaise laughed and reached for the second glass. He could feel a slight buzz kicking in but it didn't matter. He'd been brought up on much stronger things.  
He made his way through the second glass easily, grinning over at Andrew when he finished it.  
"So what's next?" he chirped.   
Andrew's blank expression had faded slightly, a hint of annoyance and curiosity showing through the cracks. Nicaise tried to ignore how much that made his cock throb, but the fact he'd started breaking through Andrew's facade was -  
"Next, you dance."  
At the man's words, Robin stood up and pulled Nicaise out of his seat, leading him across the bar and down the staircase to the dance floor.   
"He really thinks this is a punishment?" Nicaise wasn't sure if his speech was slurred or if he had just mumbled. Robin shot him a glare as she pushed him into the throng of bodies.  
"You fucking idiot," she growled. "Do you have any idea how bad you just fucked up?"  
"What? He's the one who gave me the fuckin' drinks."  
"The fucking drinks that should've had you incoherent and blacked out by now," she deadpanned and Nicaise laughed.   
"If he wants me blacked out he should try class A stuff."  
Robin stared at him, the lights making her purple and blue hair glow and sparkle. "You're so dead."  
He laughed. He couldn't help it. He could feel the grin pulling at his face, could feel his expression getting darker.   
"I've survived worse than him."  
Robin shook her head, but Nicaise turned away before he could hear her response, letting himself dissolve into the music, get wrapped up in the people surrounding them. It was the safest option. The last time he had been pissed off on dust, Auguste had ended up-  
A hand gripped his arm, hauling him out of the pool of people and throwing him up against one of the far walls away from the crowd. When he turned around, Andrew was pinning him against the wall.  
"Where did Wymack get you from?"  
Nicaise groaned, wriggling when Andrew stepped closer. "I don't repeat myself," he growled.  
"New York."  
"State?"  
"City."  
"How long were you in juvie for?"  
"Two terms. Would've been three but they couldn't make it stick."  
"What were you in for?"  
"Petty theft, assault with a weapon, GTA and suspected arsen."  
Andrew shifted his weight against him and Nicaise's hips jerked against the wall but the blonde didn't seem to care.  
"Where did you learn to play exy?"  
"Chicago."  
"Who taught you?"  
When Nicaise didn't immediately answer, Andrew pressed his body up against Nicaise's, his arm against his throat in a clear warning.  
"Reg," Nicaise whimpered, trying to buck his hips against the man's thigh. "My foster father. He's a coach - the whole family is exy mad. He - he said he was trainin' us up for someone and that's why we moved to New York but - but he got rid of me when I was too old for him and he only kept Laurent and Auguste. I - I stopped playin' until I got sent to juvie. Then Coach got me at the end of my sentence so I wouldn't have to go back into the system for a few months."  
"Who was your foster father training you for?"  
"I don't know," Nicaise groaned. "Some Japanese guy."  
Andrew's arm pressed tighter and Nicaise moaned. "Moriyama?" Andrew asked and Nicaise tried to shake his head.  
"It started with and K," he gasped. "It don't know the rest."   
The blonde growled and Nicaise felt his stomach drop as he got close. "Please, I-"  
"I hate that word, so it's pointless using it with me." There was something in Andrew's words, behind his eyes, that made Nicaise pause. Some sort of deeper story.  
He tried to swallow. "Ok," he whispered. "Ok. Just- I'm gonna - I can't-"  
After a beat, Andrew's arm disappeared from his neck and Nicaise groaned.  
"Hold it."  
The man's voice was monotone but there was a hint of something behind it that made Nicaise's stomach flip and he heard himself whimper.   
"If you lose it now, you'll have to tell Bee about it. And then you'll have to tell her why you were in a club. As soon as you mention me, she'll know you were high. And when you tell her how much dust you've had and the drinks, and how you were still functioning after them, she'll know you've done heavier stuff in the past. And then you'll have to deal with her getting under your skin to find out about it." He paused, his body beside Nicaise but being careful not to touch him. "It'd save you a lot of hassle if you just hold it."  
Nicaise gulped, tipping his head back against the wall as he tried to breathe. Tried to focus on Andrew's words rather than his voice or his body or his face or -  
"Doe."  
Nicaise whined. When he looked at Andrew, there was something behind his mask, something that almost looked like understanding. Almost.  
"They don't have showers here by any chance, do they?" His voice was weak and he could hear how desperate he sounded.  
"Come on," Andrew said, and Nicaise followed him through the crowd, Andrew holding onto his crop top to lead him across the dance floor. They were almost at the stairs when someone pulled Nicaise away, and then there was a large body behind him with large arms around his torso and sliding down to grope his ass at the same time as encouraging him to straddle a thick thigh. Before he could process the touch enough to look up at the guy, Andrew hauled him away by his crop top, and was then standing between him and the guy.  
"Your boyfriend's fucking asking for it, dressed like that -"  
"I don't like people touching my things -"  
"Andrew."   
The man turned, and Nicaise felt his body buck when he saw the bare territorialism in his expression. Before he could say anything else, Andrew had pushed the man away and was pulling Nicaise by the top up the stairs and through the crowded bar then into the bathroom. The man pushed Nicaise towards the sinks, and then there was cold water running down his lower back and Nicaise yelped.  
"Stay."  
Andrew's tone left no room for argument so Nicaise grit his teeth as the man kept splashing handfuls of water against Nicaise's back, then his neck, stomach and legs through his leggings. After another few minutes, his cock was still throbbing but he wasn't close to the edge anymore.  
"Okay, okay, you can stop," he whined, moving away from Andrew and the sinks.   
Without saying a word, Andrew turned the tap off and was then leading Nicaise back through the crowded bar to the table Josten and Robin were still sitting at. Nicaise obediently sat on his stool again as Andrew signalled across the floor. A few moments later, the hot barkeep from earlier appeared with a tray of shots.  
"Are these spiked too?" Nicaise asked. In response, Andrew took five of the glasses and poured them onto the floor.   
"No," he said.   
Nicaise licked his lips, then reached for a glass which was in front of Andrew. When the man didn't object, Nicaise took the shot, grimacing as it hit the back of his throat. After a few seconds had passed and he could tell find any after taste other than alcohol, he reached for another. 

...

Neil jerked awake, bolting upright as his arm shot out to a few inches in front of Andrew. When there was no weight shift beside him, Neil looked over, frowning when he noticed the bed was empty.  
He was silent for a beat but there was no sign of whatever had woken him up. Frowning, he got out of bed and pulled a hoodie on with his armbands - Andrew's were gone - before heading for the bedroom door.  
The night before, Nicaise had done at least six shots before seeming to relax, and had blacked out part way through their second tray full. Andrew had carried him to the car, and then Robin had followed them back to the house.  
Once they were inside, Andrew had handed Nicaise's unconscious body to Robin and then went up the stairs with Neil, leaving Robin to take Nicaise to Nicky's old room and deal with him through the night.  
Neil went down the stairs slowly, listening for any signs that something was off. He could smell bacon and eggs from the kitchen, and once he was down stairs he could hear quiet voices.   
Andrew and Nicaise were in the kitchen, Nicaise sitting on the floor againsy a cupboard while Andrew stood at the stove. The kid had a glass of water in his hands, and his makeup from the night before was smudged over his cheeks.  
"It seemed fittin', you know?" he said quietly, and Neil hesitated in the doorway. If he turned to leave they would hear him; but Andrew must have heard him come down the stairs anyway. "I was just a - mornin', Captain." His entire tone and expression changed as he turned to face Neil after noticing him. "Sweet dreams?"  
Andrew turned as he put the bacon onto kitchen towel and shovelled fried eggs onto a plate.  
"How long have you been up?" Neil asked instead and Nicaise rolled his eyes.  
"An hour," Andrew said.   
"Last night didn't taste so fun on the way back up," Nicaise added and Andrew hummed in agreement, adding bacon to the plate before handing it to the brunette.  
"Try to eat all of it," he said quietly and Nicaise blew his cheeks out but started eating slowly without any argument. Neil frowned, looking between the pair. Obviously something had happened, for Andrew to actively be looking after the brat - but what, Neil couldn't figure out.  
"Are you having anything or waiting until you're back at the dorm?"  
He looked over to find Andrew already watching him.  
"Are we getting sent back to the dorms already?" Neil countered and Andrew tapped his own wrist even though none of them wore watches.  
"Nicaise isn't eighteen, so custody and guardian forms will have to be filled out before the semester begins. Considering Wymack is usually good at leaving everyone alone on Sundays, he'll pick today to sort the paperwork out. And since you're the oldest one on the team now and the oldest one rooming with Nicaise, you'll be signing that paperwork." Andrew paused, taking a glass and filling it up with water before dropping what looked like ground coffee and two dissolvable tablets into it.   
"He won't want to miss sports recall and playbacks at tea time, and since filing the paperwork will take hours, he'll want to get started as early as possible. But he knows no one moves early on a Saturday, so he'll come around just before lunch. It's almost eight now, which gives you all just under two and a half hours to make it back to the dorm before he's likely to show up."  
Neil swore and Andrew handed the glass to Nicaise. "Give that to Robin and make sure she drinks all of it."  
Nicaise nodded, taking the glass as he stood up with his own and his plate. He walked past Neil without a word, and disappeared silently into Nicky's old room, kicking the door shut behind himself.  
Neil waited for the door to close before looking back to Andrew, who was leaning against the cooker with an amused glint in his eye.  
"Questions, Rabbit?"  
"How'd he manage to get you to make breakfast?" Neil aaked and Andrew smirked. He seemed oddly relaxed, very at ease despite Nicaise being less than fifteen feet away. Then again, he had been relaxed the entire time the kid had been in the kitchen, too.  
"He didn't. I told him I'd make it because I didn't trust him to not burn the house down if he was left unsupervised next to an open flame."  
Neil groaned, and Andrew shrugged as he walked over to him in the doorway. "I look after my own," he murmured as he carded his fingers through Neil's hair. "And now it's your job to not lose or break my things." His fingers tightened, gripping Neil's roots.   
Neil wet his lips, processing Andrew's words.   
"He's family," he said and Andrew nodded slightly.  
"Good Rabbit," he muttered before kissing Neil again. When his mouth wandered down to Neil's neck he didn't argue, just gripped the doorframe and tried to stay quiet as Andrew starting biting and sucking. It was only fair, he supposed - the night before, Neil had practically been attached to Andrew's neck until they had fallen asleep, and the blonde had the marks to prove it now.   
When Andrew's hands untied Neil's slacks, his mind blanked out.

...

Almost two and a half hours later, Neil pushed the stairwell door open and instantly regretted it. Wymack was standing outside the dorm room with Henry in the doorway.   
Before Neil could back out, Nicaise and Robin pushed past him.  
"Oh, Coach!" Nicaise howled. "We get visits from you? That's so kind. Unfortunately, we're not home right now." As he spoke he walked past the man and into the dorm room. Robin stalked past Coach with her heels in her hands, and went straight into her dorm which she shared with Stephanie and Trisha.  
Neil cringed when Wymack looked at him intently. "They went out to get milk, and came back without anything." He looked back to Henry, who was grimacing in the doorway.   
"We-"  
Wymack cut Neil off with a hand pointed inside the dorm and Neil ducked his head, walking in the room and sighing when he heard Wymack shut the door behind himself. When he looked around, Nicaise was making coffee and downing pain killers like they were candy, while Henry had already scampered over to the sofa and was watching from over the top of the cushions. Wymack was looking between the three of them as if he was deciding who to yell at first.  
"Josten, care to explain why you let Minyard drug a kid you're almost legally responsible for?"  
"It was Andrew's idea," Neil said. "He thought Nicaise could be linked with the Moriyamas. It wasn't like I could say no to him getting information in person."  
Wymack stared at him for a few seconds before groaning and pinching the bridge of his nose.  
"Is there going to be another fucking war?"  
"He said he'd ask Kevin about the name Nicaise gave him, and then they'd let us know," Neil said. "You can ask Kevin if you don't believe me."  
Behind him, Nicaise made an agreeing noise in the back of his throat as he took a mouthful of coffee.  
Wymack looked between them again for a few moments before shaking his head.  
"You know what," he said. "Forget I asked. Just let me know if anyone is about to get killed, preferably before it happens. Now just sign the fucking papers so I can get out of here and pretend I never heard you say any of that."  
Neil took the pile of papers from Wymack's hand, taking them over to his desk and going through them, signing his name underneath Wymack's on each section the man had underscored for him.  
"What are these for anyway?" he asked. "He's eighteen in two months."  
"And until then, he's a minor and needs a legal adult to be responsible for him," Wymack sighed. "You live with him, so you'll be his legal guardian - I'm responsible for the team and for recruiting him, so I've got partial custodial rights. Apparently. No one's actually going to come check up on him, but if I don't file the paperwork then it'll be a fuck ton of calls and lawyers for months after he ages out."  
Neil nodded as he finished signing, quickly flipping through the papers again to check he hadn't missed any before handing them back to Wymack.   
"Just - just keep him alive til the season starts," the man grunted with vague gesture in Nicaise's direction.   
"Oh, he has to Coach," the kid piped up. "His boyfriend said so."  
Wymack paused, raising an eyebrow at the small brunette on the counter.  
"Andrew told him to keep you alive?" He sounded dubious, and Neil couldn't blame him.  
"Uhhuh," Nicaise chirped. "Said I'm his, so his boyfriend needs to keep me safe or he knows what will happen. Sounded pretty hard core, if you ask me. He also said if the guy shows up or if I remember anything else about him or if I even just want to chat and compare stories from foster care and juvie then to give him a call."  
Neil blinked. "Andrew gave you his number?"  
In response, Nicaise held up his palm which had ink smudged over it. Neil had noticed it earlier, but hadn't paid attention to the digits, assuming he had picked it up from someone at the club.  
When Neil didn't say anything else, Nicaise looked back to Wymack, who was rubbing a hand over his jaw.  
"You better have a good story for Bee," the man said and Nicaise shook his head.  
"I didn't break the deal, so I don't have to tell her shit."  
Wymack arched an eyebrow at him. "She said you're not allowed to get high-"  
"Her deal just says I can't get laid, get off or get anyone else off," Nicaise corrected, counting each off on his fingers as he spoke. "None of those things happened last night, so I still haven't lost our little bet." He grinned, clicking his tongue once. "Devil's in the details, Coach."  
Wymack looked between them all again, before shaking his head and opening the door, muttering about his paycheck as he went down the hall.  
Henry got up and shut the door, leaning against it as he looked at the pair of them.  
"You didn't tell me you and Andrew were adopting," he said, laughing when Neil flipped him off. "So that means you can't let anything bad happen to him from now on," the man continued and Neil sighed.  
"Yeah." He didn't know whether Henry meant the legal papers or Andrew's protection deal; either way, the answer was the same.  
"Yet you've drugged me, interrogated me, and made me suffer through Watson's driving," Nicaise chimed in and Neil licked his lips.   
"Starting from now," he corrected.  
Henry choked on his laugh and Nicaise grinned. Despite the bombshells he'd dealt with so far this morning, Neil felt himself smiling a little.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how juvie sentencing works in the US so yeah have fun with that (I was aiming for roughly 18-24 months, so I took a guess which was probably wrong).
> 
> Also I'm sorry if the formatting looks different - usually I upload using rich text, but it's only letting me upload in html right now so yeah.... sorry if that sucks (I wanted to put italics and stuff in like usual, and when it let's me use rich text again I'll come back and edit it all in)
> 
> And sorry if the ending feels a bit jumpy


	7. Chapter Six: Do you even care?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get too much for Nicaise and he relapses, then has to deal with the early consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC 
> 
> TW FOR:  
> RELAPSE  
> ADDICTION  
> DRUG USE  
> SEX  
> RAPE - GRAPHIC I GUESS   
> VIOLENCE   
> FLASHBACKS   
> PTSD   
> CSA   
> IMPLIED/ REFERENCED CHILD ABUSE   
> IMPLIED / REFERENCED INCEST 
> 
> IF YOU NEED ANYTHING ELSE TAGGED LET ME KNOW 
> 
> DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC

The athletes lunch hall was frantic and Nicaise grit his teeth as he stood in line with his tray while trying not to get pushed over by the football players behind him and Josten. It wasn't even the end of his first week and he was already starting to fall behind in his classes.  
On Monday, he had gone to all of his classes and sat through them, taking notes even in the boring ones. Since he was the only freshman, none of the other Foxes were in his classes but they were determined to make the buddy system work, and so he had found at least one of them waiting outside each of his classes.  
By Tuesday he had gotten told there would be a paper due, and on Wednesday he had three essays to start on.   
And now it was Thursday and somehow he had another two assignments to get through and textbook chapters to read and things to look up and it was already too much for him to keep track of.  
School had never been important before. For the last year and a half he had been in juvie, and the provided education had been bullshit with rewards for good behaviour. The only class he had enjoyed had been gym, only because it had consisted of exy and then shower sex. Before that, he had been on the streets and in between foster families for four years, and no one had made sure he'd gone to school. The last time anyone had paid attention to his grades and made sure he'd studied had been in fucking middle school. Even then, he had only bothered with it because Reg had expected him to be as smart as Laurent and Auguste. If he hadn't seemed to be on equal footing with the older boys, he had gotten -  
A loud laugh cut through Nicaise's thoughts, distracting him a second before someone fell into Josten's shoulder with a hurried apology which they both ignored, Josten fixing himself so he wasn't in a position to get pushed into Nicaise again.  
"What's the matter, Cap?" Nicaise asked sweetly. "Scared I'm gonna bite?"  
Josten glared in answer and Nicaise shrugged.  
After paying for his lunch he went over to the table the rest of the team were at, sliding in between Robin and Henry, with Josten sitting down next to Robin a few seconds later.  
"Someone looks down," Matthew said and Nicaise looked over to him. "You feeling okay?"  
"Just tired," Nicaise muttered.   
Matthew raised a brow at Henry but Nicaise ignored them both.   
One more week. That's all he had to last. Just until the end of next week. Then he could get as high as he wanted and could get fucked as much as he wanted. Just one more stupid fucking week. 

...

"I thought parties wouldn't start until after the season kicked off."  
Ben glanced over at him, pulling his tshirt on at the same time. Afternoon practice had been bullshit. Josten had put up a half decent fight but hadn't been fast enough to get past Nicaise's defense to get a good enough shot on goal. He had pushed the team to practice for over three hours, and Nicaise's body ached but it still wasn't enough.   
"They usually start off before now," Ben said slowly. "But you're not meant to go to any of them."  
Rolling his eyes, Nicaise leant down to fasten his laces. "I'm not an idiot," he said, forcing himself to keep his tone light. "And I never said I was gonna go to any."  
He could feel Ben frowning at him but didn't care. Couldn't care.  
By the time he got back to the Tower, his whole body felt like it was vibrating. Henry pulled him towards the kitchen as soon as they were in the dorm, pushing him against the counter and sighing when Nicaise whined.  
"Long day?" he asked softly and Nicaise groaned.  
"Long week," he muttered as Henry took out last night's leftovers to reheat.  
"If you need help with any of your classes, let me know," he said as he started emptying them into bowls to put in the oven. "College is always a shock to the system, but it's probably hitting you harder since you didn't come straight from high school."  
Nicaise hummed non-committally in response, making himself hop up onto the counter to wait for the meal.   
"How are they going, by the way?" Henry asked and Nicaise tilted his head. "Your classes," the man clarified. "You never talk about them."  
Nicaise shrugged. "They're borin' as fuck," he said. "There's nothin' to talk about."  
Henry didn't look convinced, but Nicaise didn't feel like faking his way through a pointless conversation. Instead he hopped off the counter and wandered over to where Josten was sulking on the sofa.  
"You still huffin' cause I beat your ass in trainin'?" he chirped, fighting the urge to smile when Josten cut him a glare that would have made anyone else flinch.  
"I'm pissed because you weren't even trying," he said and Nicaise pouted.  
"So you're not huffin' cause a kid kicked your ass," he said. "But because a kid kicked your ass without even tryin' to."  
Josten frowned at him.  
"Do you really not care?" the man asked as Nicaise leant over the back of the sofa, trying to ignore how his dick was starting to pay attention to the conversation. "You're good - one of the best I've ever seen," the redhead went on. "And you don't even try. Do you have any idea how amazing you could be if you actually tried?"  
Nicaise smiled. He could feel his gaze getting slightly darker as he looked at Josten. Fuck.  
"Put me on someone I actually have to try with, and maybe I will."  
The words were out his mouth before he could stop them, and then he was turning around to walk back to the kitchen.  
"If you actually gave a shit, maybe I would," Josten snapped and Nicaise paused. He could feel the man's gaze boring into the back of his head, just like he could feel the grin pulling at his own lips. Biting his cheek, he slowly turned back around, his cock throbbing in appreciation when he saw how cold the fire in Josten's eyes was.  
"Well if -"  
"Cut it out, both of you."   
They both looked over at Henry's voice and the man gestured between them. "Time out. Neil, he doesn't actually care about the conversation, he's just trying to get a reaction out of you so he can get off on it. Nicaise, shut up, eat your food and park your ass on the couch away from Neil's lap."  
Nicaise pouted as Henry shoved a hot bowl of lasagne into his hands, but obediently walked around and dropped onto the sofa in the corner farthest from Josten. The redhead shot another look at him, taking the bowl Henry handed him with a muttered thanks before he went over and sat at the table by the window with it.   
Henry sat down next to Nicaise, sighing when he saw he was still pouting around his food.  
"Please just behave," he said quietly. "You've not even got ten days left. Okay? We can go out next Saturday and you can get railed to death, if that's what you want." He mussed Nicaise's hair. "But don't ruin it now - not when you're so close to winning."  
"Close to somethin', but it ain't winnin'," Nicaise muttered and Henry sighed.  
"Eat up, Omega," he said after a pause. "You barely touched your lunch earlier."  
Nicaise grimaced but obediently scooped more of the mix into his mouth.

Half an hour later he put his bowl in the sink and went up the hall, going into the bathroom and clicking the door shut before turning the shower on full and stripping, throwing his clothes under the water. He waited a few minutes before quietly opening the door enough to slip out, shutting it softly behind himself before going across the hall to the bedroom and slipping in, clicking the dooe quietly as he mentally went through his options. He didn't have any slutty clothes, and the leggings from last weekend would take too long to get into.   
Tip-toeing across the room, he went through his backpack until he found a pair of ripped black skinny jeans, pulling them on with a slashed grey tank. He took his converse and went over to the window, climbing onto the desk and sliding it open before easing himself out and onto the widows walk. It was three stories high, but he had managed to climb over balconies at least twice this height in the past.  
Once he was on the fire escape, he sat on one of the steps to pull his shoes on before hurrying down to the ground, then running down the hill the Tower was on. When he got far enough away he knew he had a decent head start on Josten if he decided to run after him, Nicaise took his phone out and typed in the address that one of the guys in his Spanish class had sent him that afternoon. Hesitating, he minimised the map and pulled up his contacts, thumbing through them until he got to Dobson. He pulled her page up and sent a single text before going back to the map. 

'You win'

Slowing his pace to a casual walk as he got close to the street, he followed the directions on his phone for almost twenty minutes before he got to the house. It wasn't even ten yet and there were already lights flashing and he could hear the loud music from his place out in the street.  
He let himself in, instantly feeling himself relax as the music got louder and the smell of sweat and alcohol took over his senses. People were already drunk, and there were five girls dancing on the dining table, palming and grinding on each other while a bunch of people whistled and shouted at them.  
A few people greeted him as he made his way through to the next room and he took the red cup that was shoved in his face without argument. He knew it was spiked as soon as he tasted it, but he doubted it'd have much effect unless he had a few more cups of the stuff.   
Half a dozen cups later and he was on the dance floor, letting some big guy in a muscle tee grope him and grind on him. When the guy pulled him away from the crowd he didn't fight, letting himself get lead up the stairs and down the hallway to a bedroom. The door had barely shut before the guy was picking him up and pushing him against the wall. As he felt himself grinding against the guy while his top got pulled off, Nicaise let his mind finally shut off.

...

His body ached and Nicaise let himself soak it in as he woke up. He was on a purple bed which wasn't his, which meant he had passed out at the party. There were voices and noises all around him, but he couldn't bring himself to focus on them. His back was throbbing, and there was the distinct feeling of fresh cum on the bed underneath him. It wasn't until he noticed his hips were moving that his brain decided to switch on and tell him three things at once;  
First, he was going to be sick if he had to roll over or move quickly.  
Second, he had gotten railed within an inch of his life the night before.  
Third, he was getting raped.  
Or rather, someone had started fucking him again while he was passed out. He supposed that counted as rape - even though if he had been awake he wouldn't have argued or told them no. But still; they hadn't asked. And if the layers of cum underneath him were anything to go by, someone had already fucked him pretty well and within the last twenty minutes, before this other someone decided to have a shot.  
He groaned as his hips were pushed into the mattress, while a large pair of hands gripped his waist, holding him in place. It took a few more seconds for him to realise he was fucking back against the person as they drilled into his ass.  
"Wait, dude- I think he's awake," a voice on his right said.  
"No shit - he wouldn't be fucking himself back like that if he was asleep," another voice said.  
"Shouldn't you stop?" the first voice asked. "Now he's awake, he might know who you are."  
Nicaise couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of his throat. "I really don't give a fuck who you are," he heard himself mutter. "Just hurry up before I start pukin'."  
"Told you he'd be a good whore," grunted a voice from above him and Nicaise assumed it belonged to the one whose dick was buried in him.   
The pace sped up and he moaned, dropping his head against the sheet as he let himself get used like a toy. A hand around his waist tightened, lifting his hips and ass off the bed as the person above him went faster for a few seconds before the rhythm changed and Nicaise bit his arm to stay quiet as his ass got filled with cum.   
He whined, hips jerking as he tried to find some sort of friction, but the grip on his waist didn't let up until the person pulled out and dropped him back on the mattress.  
"Seriously?" he muttered, mostly to himself. The weight on the bed shifted as the person climbed off of him, but Nicaise knew better than to take that as an invitation to look up or move.  
He felt the people moving around on the bed, before a hand gripped the back of his neck and his face was shoved into the sheet.  
"You try to look around at us, you're dead." Another voice.  
Nicaise didn't say anything, and then he felt the new person slap his ass a few times before sliding in. Apparently it was a gang rape, not an average one. How flattering.  
He groaned as the new person fucked him into the bed, fast and rough. The hand on the back of his neck held him still, over his barcode just like when-  
His thoughts shattered as he came, hips stuttering back and forth between the bed as he ground himself into it, and back against the dick that was still hammering into him.   
By the time his brain connected back to his body, he realised the new person had came a few seconds after he did, and was now pulling out of him. His ass got slapped again and he groaned lowly.   
"You tell anyone about this," the newest voice said. "And you're dead. You hear me?"  
Nicaise wet his lips. "Tell anyone 'bout what? I passed out in the library last night then skipped class and I've been watchin' movies all day."  
His ass got slapped again, which he took as a reward.  
"Wait here for five minutes after we leave," one of the other voices said.   
Nicaise stayed still as he felt them moving off of the bed, heard flies getting done up and clothing getting moved around before there were footsteps, then the door opened and shut.  
He waited a few seconds before rolling over and leaning off the edge of the bed to retch. His stomach spasmed a few times and he realised belatedly he didn't know how much he had drank the night before, or even what he had had to drink. Whatever it was, it tasted like death on the way back up.  
Groaning, he spat a few times before slowly moving off the bed, stumbling over to the closet to piss since he doubted he'd be welcome to poke around the house to look for the bathroom. Even then, it was almost guaranteed to have at least three people passed out in it.  
Zipping himself back up, he checked his pockets for his phone before slowly making his way out of the bedroom, leaning against the wall as he went up the hallway. There were a few people passed out on the carpet, then a few more on the stairs. The girls who had been dancing on the table the night before were now passed out in a heap on the sofa.   
When he got outside he grimaced, shielding his eyes as he squinted. It shouldn't be that fucking bright. Not when it was only... he didn't know what time it was, but the sun shouldn't be that fucking bright. He checked his phone as he went back up the street, following the vague memory he had of the direction he had came from the night before.   
His phone said it was almost ten in the morning, and there were dozens of missed calls and texts from the Foxes. Most of them were from Henry and Robin, but a handful were from Josten and a few of the others. Two were from Wymack. Only one was from Dobson, and it was just one line.

'4:30pm, Monday afternoon. Have someone bring you down and we can talk about it.'

Sighing, Nicaise opened up Josten's messages but didn't bother reading them. Instead he typed out 'I'm alive your boyfriend doesn't have to kill you anymore just tell the others to fuck off', then turned his phone off and headed back up to the Tower, only having to stop and retch a few times on the way.

...

He went back up the fire escape and through the bedroom window, since he assumed the dorm would be locked while Josten and Henry were in class. Nicaise stripped, throwing the stained clothes in the laundry as he got in the shower. He spent over an hour under the water, his entire body shaking as he fought to stay coherent.  
When that guy had held him by the barcode - when Reg had told him he was nothing but an object, a pet, something to be bought and used and sold - when he'd first written the numbers down - when the tattooist had gave him a tired look before telling him to turn around so he could get to work - when he'd almost came untouched from the needle in his neck - when he'd thought of Reg seeing it-  
The water was running cold by the time Nicaise could focus on the present again.   
Shivering, he turned it off and got out, roughly drying himself before going back through to the bedroom and pulling on sweatpants and a hoodie. He turned his phone on, frowning when he saw it was already the middle of the afternoon. There were only six messages waiting for him this time - two from Josten, two from Henry, one from Wymack and one from Andrew. Andrew's was simply 'Don't scare Neil like that again or it'll be me you'll have to deal with'.   
Nicaise gulped, fingers hovering over his screen as he tried to decide what the fuck he was meant to say to that. Deciding not answering was better than answering wrong, he checked through the other messages, before putting his phone in his front pocket and heading out the dorm, pocketing his keys as he went.   
The Tower was empty, since everyone was either still in class or in practice for whatever sport they were in. He walked over to the stadium, not bothering to rush; he was beyond being late, anyway.   
When he got there he keyed in the pin code before making his way across the lot to the back door and heading into the too-large building. How could it be too large and not large enough at the same time?  
He went down the hallway, knocking on Wymack's door before pushing it open. The room was empty, but the radio was on so he hadn't been out for too long. Nicaise shut the door and went across to Winifield's room, pushing the door open since it was already cracked.  
"Doc?"   
The nurse's station was empty, and her supply boxes and bags were all closed and accounted for.   
Frowning, he shut the door and went through to the foyer, then down into the court.   
Wymack and Winifield were in the outer court, and they looked like they were going between talking to each other and watching the rest of the team play.  
Swallowing, Nicaise made his way down to the plexiglass, opening the door. Both adults stopped midsentence, looking over at the sound.  
"Nicaise, there you-" Winifield cut herself off with a gasp, which was quickly covered up when she pressed her lips into a thin line as she took him in. Wymack was frowning, and his eyes looked so, so tired.  
"I guess it looks worse than it feels," Nicaise said, only just realising he hadn't looked in a mirror yet.  
Winifield walked over to him, bending down so they were eye level as she turned his face from side to side, then gently pulled at the neckline of his hoodie as her lips got thinner and thinner.   
"Can I ask?" Her voice was quiet and small and Nicaise could only shake his head mutely.   
From his place against the plexiglass, Wymack sighed. "I'll call Betsy-"  
"She already knows," Nicaise cut in. "She said I've to see her at four thirty on Monday."   
Wymack frowned but nodded slightly. "Alright. Robin's taking you."  
Nicaise nodded and Winifield tipped his chin up to look at her again.  
"Get back up to my room and get stripped," she decided. "I don't think I'll believe you if you tell me there are no other marks."  
Nicaise nodded, turning and making his way back to the foyer and up the hallway to the door with the cross on it. He went in, pulling his hoodie and sweats off, dropping them on the bench as he hopped up onto it to wait.  
Winifield came in a minute or two later, closing the door and walking over to sit in front of him. He stayed still, letting her examine his arms for any track marks or fresh cuts, along with his thighs and stomach. When she gestured for him to lie down he did, letting her examine each of his piercings to make sure they weren't torn or stretched to far. She pressed her fingers into his abs, kneading along his muscles like they were bread, before she got him to roll over. There was a pause, and Nicaise assumed there was a bruise on his neck where the guy had been holding him. He probably had some along his waist and hips too, though he hadn't bothered to look.   
After a few too many beats of silence and stillness, Winifield's hands were on his back, kneading and pressing again. Her hands disappeared and Nicaise heard her pulling on some gloves before she spoke.   
"If you need me to stop, say so. Alright? Lift your hips a little bit for me."  
He hummed, doing as he was told and then she was pulling his boxers down. Her fingers traced along his ass, where he assumed there were bruises from the guy slapping him. Whatever; they couldn't be as bad as when Reg had-  
"Nicaise, calm down."   
It took him a few seconds to realise he'd started getting hard, and he forced himself not to think as she kept pressing at his ass, spreading his cheeks. He bit his arm when he felt her fingers brushing against his hole. Logically he knew she was checking for any rips or signs he had torn it, but still - all he could think about was Her with Her gloves and Her voice and-  
"Doc."  
Winifield's hands stopped, but didn't move away.  
"Is it painful or uncomfortable?" she asked softly and Nicaise licked his lips.   
"Neither," he murmured against his wrist. "Just your bench is gonna need cleanin' up if you keep goin'."  
Winifield sighed, but her hands moved away. "Alright," she said, and he heard her moving away. "You can pull them back up yourself."  
He sat up, hopping off the bench as he pulled the material back up, biting his cheek the whole time. "Can I get dressed or do you still need to look at stuff?"  
"You can get your pants back on, but I'm giving you something to take that will help with the bruising and I'm having blood tests done," she said, her back to him as she washed her hands even though she'd been wearing gloves. Nicaise pulled his sweats on, sitting back up on the bench.  
The nurse moved around the room, getting a handful of vials and a cotton pad with a wipe and and needle before sitting down across from him again. He held his arms out and she wiped his left one, sliding the needle in and he looked at the wall while she filled all five tubes up before taking the needle out and nd nd replacing it with a cotton pad, then a band-aid.   
"What's the verdict?" he asked as she scribbled labels on the tubes, before putting them in some sort of stand. When Winifield looked back to him, her expression was carefully neutral.  
"You're lucky you didn't get seriously hurt," she said. "I'm assuming no one used protection."  
"Course not," he chirped, and Winifield pursed her lips.  
"If you notice any symptoms of an STD, you tell me. Alright?"  
Nicaise nodded and the woman went over to her kits, fishing around before bringing a sealed bottle over to him.  
"Take two of these every hour across the weekend," she said as he took the thing off of her.   
"Aye aye, Doc," he said, giving her a half-hearted salute.  
"Take this, and go see Wymack," she went on, handing over a chocolate bar. "You're helping him today instead of practicing."  
Nicaise nodded, hopping off the bench and pulling his hoodie on as he went out the door, opening the candy on the way down to the court. He dropped himself onto a seat behind where Wymack was still standing in the outer court.  
"Get off your ass and get up here," the man grumbled and Nicaise swallowed as he walked over.  
"What am I meant to be doin'?" he asked. The man was holding a clipboard with a few different pages on it, and he lowered it when he saw Nicaise going on his tiptoes to look over his arm at it.   
"Giving me a new pair of eyes," he grunted and Nicaise tried to focus on the words rather than the tone or the man they were coming from.  
"Coach?"  
Wymack sighed, then gestured with the board to the Foxes. "We both know you're a better backliner than any of that lot. Josten said so himself, and he's played on the Ravens as one. Day and Minyard agreed when they saw footage of you." Nicaise gulped, trying to remind his dick it didn't need to take part in the conversation - he'd gotten fucked last night, raped twice this morning and fuck knows what happened in between. His back was still aching, for fucks sake. He didn't need to get horny again already, and especially not from Wymack giving him an ounce of praise.   
"So tell me what you think of this lot," the man was saying. "Tell me what you think they need to improve on. Tell me what you notice- how they play, their weaknesses, strengths, patterns. Being able to analyse players is a really important skill that they don't talk about much in gym class. I want to see where you are with it so I know what to teach you."  
Nicaise hummed, trying to focus on the players in front of him. Analyze, the man had said.   
Analyze was what Reg had said to Nicaise, Laurent and Auguste over and over and over again. Analyze was what they had been forced to do while watching tapes of themselves playing, fighting and fucking. Analyze was what Reg had spat at them after every beating, every wrong answer, every lost opportunity to beat-  
Nicaise snapped back to the present when Wymack cleared his throat expectantly.   
"Robin's right catch is weak," he heard himself say. "She's hopin' the strikers aim for her left, since she prefers that side." He moved his gaze on to someone else. "Trisha's footwork is sloppy - it'd be real easy to knock her off balance or make her trip herself up." And again. "Josten prefers his right swing - his left is clumsy because he doesn't get forced to use it." And again. "Ben and Matthew aren't payin' enough attention to each other, so it'd be easy to get through them." And again. "Jack's not pacin' himself - it'd be easy to run him out and get him frustrated enough to make a poor choice, then get the ball from him." Again. "Steph's not payin' attention to her play, she's distracted and her footwork is off beat." Again. "Henry prefers high shots and low catches, so he'd be more likely to miss a high pass." Again. "Nicola is spendin' too much energy tryin' to feign - it'd be easy to get a shot past her." Again. "Keith's goin' slower to make sure he counts his steps, but he's not thinkin' ahead enough. Gettin' the ball off him would be easy." Again. Closer. "Alice isn't in sync with the others, she's the easiest one to get past because she's spendin' too much time watchin' for a cue from her friends rather than trustin' her instincts." Closer. "Jake, Hunter and Jared have banded together, but their footwork doesn't help them. It'd be easy enough to move them as a group away from their line and marks, which would leave a decent hole in the defense." Closer. "Wally is too scared of gettin' somethin' wrong that he doesn't trust his instincts. He's used to makin' mistakes. And his footwork is too slow - he's tryin' to treat the whole thing like a math problem but he isn't as logical as Josten, so it doesn't work for him." Again. Always again. Always closer. "Harry and Mike aren't workin' together, and they're both pissed off about somethin' so it'd be easy to rile them up and get them carded, which would put them on edge enough to mess up and let shots through."  
Nicaise stopped, looking over to find Wymack staring at him like he'd just recited the Greek alphabet backwards. Slowly, the man smiled and scribbled a few notes down.   
"That's going to melt, by the way." He pointed his pen at the partially-eaten chocolate bar in Nicaise's hand.   
Nicaise automatically took another bite out of it and Wymack went back to his notes. And then; "What else?"  
When Nicaise looked up, the man gestured to the Foxes, and Nicaise started pointing out habits each player had, patterns that they each fell into, preferences, flaws. With each new point, Wymack was nodding and scribbling stuff down, flipping pages as he went. Occasionally he asked Nicaise to elaborate, and each time he did there was a glimmer of approval in his expression or tone. And each time he noticed the approval, Nicaise let himself start to soak it in, let himself get off on it a little bit - not enough to get hard, but enough that he could feel it pulsing through him like a heartbeat. Like a second energy source. He went deeper and closer as the man encouraged him to analyze his Foxes.

By the time they stopped, the chocolate bar wrapper was folded up in Nicaise's front pocket and Wymack had ran out of space to write on. He banged on the plexiglass walls, gesturing for the team to call in for the evening, before he looked at Nicaise.   
"Move it, kid," he grunted. "You're with me until one of your buddies is changed out."   
Shrugging, Nicaise flopped back down on the chairs behind them as the door opened and the rest of the team started moving through the outer court to get to the tunnel. A few of them tried to stop to talk to him, but Wymack shooed them away.  
"Am I gettin' benched until I'm clean again?" he asked quietly as the man started locking the court up after the others had disappeared.  
Wymack sighed heavily. "That's up to Abby and Betsy, not me," he said at last. "I can't let you play until I know you won't hurt yourself or any of the others, but I can't be the judge of that. If they think you're off your game, then you're benched until they're both happy with you."  
"I can play when I'm high, Coach," he said. "I'm used to it."  
"I believe that," the man grumbled. "Just like I believe you're used to playing in worst states than this." He gestured to Nicaise, presumably meaning his bruises and the obvious fact he'd gotten his brains fucked out. "But just because you can doesn't mean you should. And on my team, you only play if you're in a state you should be playing in. Understand?"  
"Yes, Coach."

... 

The trip back to the Tower was silent, and Nicaise curled up on the couch as Josten and Henry looked at him.   
"Are we going to talk about this?" Henry asked and Josten sighed.  
"No," he said and Nicaise tilted his head back to look at him. "He's still high."  
Nicaise shrugged, not bothering to argue his case. He could feel himself starting to crash, but he knew he wasn't close to going into withdrawal yet.  
Frowning, Henry looked between the pair of them.   
"Take out?" he eventually asked and Nicaise felt some of the tension in the room ease.

A few hours later there was a knock at the door. Nicaise glanced over as Henry answered it.   
Robin was standing in the hall. "It's after ten," was all she said. Henry came back to the sofa as Josten stood up from the table where he had been sitting, smoking next to the window.  
Nicaise looked to Henry for an explanation, but the Josten gestured for Nicaise to follow. With a final confused look to Henry, Nicaise got up and followed the pair down the stairwell and out to the parking lot.   
They got in the Lamborghini, Nicaise climbing in behind Robin. Josten drove them to the stadium, unlocking the doors as they went.   
"Change out," was all the redhead said before he went into the changing room. Robin disappeared into the girl's one and Nicaise hesitantly followed Josten into the guy's room.   
Usually Josten changed out in a stall, and Nicaise paused when he saw the man was sitting on one of the benches instead. Before he could ask, the door opened behind him and Robin's ponytail swung past him in his peripheral.  
Josten disappeared to the bathroom with his gear, and Nicaise frowned as he watched Robin start stripping.   
"What are we doin' here?" Nicaise asked and Robin glanced over at him as she dropped her top on the floor.  
"Night practice," she said like it was obvious. "Now change out. You're not getting left alone, so you don't get a choice if you play with us or not."  
When he didn't move towards his locker, Robin sighed and turned to face him.  
"How many?" she asked as she pushed her shorts down and Nicaise heard himself whimper as he watched.   
"How many what?" he eventually asked, his voice cracking.   
Robin was fucking gorgous. And she knew it, but she didn't seem to care.  
She tilted her head at him, her galaxy-coloured ponytail dropping across her shoulder and bra.  
"How many times did you get raped last night?"  
Her voice was monotone and Nicaise didn't realise he had moved until he heard the thud of her body as he pushed her up against the lockers.  
"Or should it be how many people raped you last night?" Despite being pressed up against the metal doors with Nicaise's hand on her neck, Robin's tone never changed.  
"Do you even remember?" she asked. "Do you even care?"  
He growled, and then her knees were at his guts and he was on his back, winded and gasping for breath as he looked up at her. She bent down, grabbing his hoodie to pull him up until their noses were touching.  
"Change. Out."  
She let go, and he watched as she went back to the bench to finish getting changed. He heard himself starting to laugh, but couldn't bring him to really care.  
When Josten came back through, he frowned at them both but didn't comment on whether or not he had heard what Robin had said. Instead he glanced at Nicaise as he pulled his jersey on.  
"You're piercings still have to come out."  
"They're studs," Nicaise argued. "They won't get caught if it's just us."  
Josten didn't look convinced but shrugged and walked out the locker room. Nicaise pulled his gear on before following with Robin behind him.   
They went down to the court, Josten unlocking everything on the way.  
On court, Robin went to her position in goal, and Josten looked to Nicaise.  
"Don't let me get a shot on her," was all he said. Nicaise swallowed, but forced himself to line up with Josten as his mark. His body was throbbing and begging to get fucked again, and he tried to focus that energy as he blocked Josten's blows and shots, sidestepping and spinning to knock their racquets against each other.   
When Josten ran, Nicaise chased after him, knocking him off balance a beat before he lined up to shoot. He only stopped when Nicaise got the ball and knocked it across the floor.  
"Again," the redhead said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry about the formatting- the flashbacks & texts are supposed to be in italics.
> 
> We're getting into the dark stuff now, people. If you can't stomach it, leave. It's only going to get darker from here on out.
> 
> Note: I do not condone, encourage or promote any of the violence committed in this chapter or this fic. I write dark stuff to deal with dark stuff. And if reading dark stuff upsets you, please don't put yourself through that. But please don't send me angry messages about how hurt you are or how evil I am for writing this stuff. It's all fiction, at the end of the day. I am not making you read it - you can go back and out of this fic at any time.


	8. Chapter Seven: Reality and habits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Foxes find out who they'll be facing, Nicaise's past slaps him up, and he learns some new things about Jack before falling back to old habits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW FOR:
> 
> PTSD  
> CSA  
> Mentions/ references to past abuse  
> Mentions/ discussions of suicide  
> Regent  
> Laurent  
> Sex addiction  
> G-slur  
> Racism  
> Shaming  
> Misogyny probably  
> Underage sex (implied I guess)  
> Mentions of alcoholism 
> 
> If you need me to tag anything else let me know

Across the room, Nicaise was lounging on the sofa with his head on Robin's shoulder while she ignored him. He'd spent the weekend avoiding Neil and Henry, and according to the groupchat he'd managed to avoid the rest of the team too.  
Grimacing, Neil sat down on the sofa next to him, trying to ignore the grin the boy shot his way. Tried to ignore the way those eyes still looked like they belonged on a doll or a painting.  
He'd shown up to morning gym with fresh hickies blatantly on show across his neck and shoulders, as if he had been trying to replace the gorey bruising that had been covering his skin on Friday. No one had commented on the marks, even though Wymack had looked like he had wanted to say something when he'd seen them.  
Across the day, Nicaise had ducked out of their buddy system, avoiding all of the Foxes after his classes. At lunch he had seemed tuned out and distant, which Neil assumed meant he was getting close to crashing. By the time he and Robin had shown up at practice that afternoon after what Neil assumed was Nicaise's first session with Bee, Nicaise had been laughing and grinning enough to put Neil's teeth on edge. Despite being high to the point of reminding Neil of Andrew's manic episodes, Nicaise had played incredibly. Maybe even better than he had up until that point. He'd knocked Neil's racquet out of his hands five times and had only let him make twenty shots on goal in almost four hours. Robin had deflected half of them.  
"Listen up, idiots."  
They all turned at the sound of Wymack's voice as the man strode into the room, a stack of paper in his hands. "I'll make this quick so you can get out of here and stop stinking up my foyer. First order of business: Doe."  
"I'm a business order, Coach?" the boy asked with a too-innocent voice and surprised expression as he slid down against Robin and let his legs fall open.  
Wymack gave him a bored look before continuing. "When we started back at training, Alice asked if you would have to be sober to play or not. Since I'm assuming you were floating off the ground for at least the first half of training this afternoon-" Nicaise shrugged, grinning as he licked his teeth while the man spoke, "-the answer is no. You can play when you're high. But if you try to jump anyone on court or have a tantrum, or your grades drop, you're benched. Understand?"  
"Aye aye, Coach," he chirped, and Wymack huffed a breath out before he looked at the rest of the team.  
"Second thing: the season starts this Friday. Josten, how many of them are you dragging to night practice now?"  
"Just Robin - and Nicaise when we can get a hold of him. But the others are welcome if they feel they need it."  
Wymack nodded, then held up the papers in his hand. "These are the routers for this season. This week is Breckenridge, next week is Edgar Allen."  
"We almost always beat them now, Coach," Henry said. "Why are you saying that like you're worried about us?"  
"Because it's not the same Ravens that you lot are used to. They've got a new assistant coach this year who's been teaching them a whole new skill set, and there's a transfer student. Both of them came from the same team in the northern district."  
"A northerner transfered to play in southern matches?" Jack asked and Wymack sighed.  
"Are you done repeating me?" he asked, nodding when Jack shrugged and leant back in his seat, his arm still around Stephanie's shoulders where it had been since they had sat down.  
"Which team are they from?" Alice asked after they had all been silent for a few seconds.  
"NYC Coyotes," Wymack said and beside Neil Nicaise perked up, sitting upright as the man continued. "The coach is Reginald- what the fuck?"  
Nicaise had launched himself across the sofa as soon as Wymack had said the man's name, and was kneeling on Neil's lap as he stretched, trying to grab at the paper in Wymack's hand.  
"Faces," he said, making a grabbing motion. After a beat, Wymack held a pack out to him and Nicaise yanked it out the man's hand, flopping back until he was sitting half on the sofa and half on Neil's lap.  
"The transfer student is Laurent, right?" he asked and Wymack frowned.  
"Yes. You know them?"  
When Neil looked back to Nicaise, the boy had flipped through the bits of paper until he got to the two at the back, and was staring at the grainy photos.  
"Nicaise?" Wymack asked, but it was as if the boy couldn't hear him. There was something in his expression, something haunted and vulnerable. Neil felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.  
"Nicaise."  
The boy blinked and Neil swallowed when he saw a familiar mask slide down over the boy's expression, contorting it into a wolfish grin as he looked up from the paper. Everyone else was silent - they could all see the darkness in Nicaise's eyes, could see it in the way he held himself. Like a wild dog ready to pounce, Neil thought.  
"Oh," he laughed. "Oh, you're all so fucked. May as well call it a night - you won't win against them, won't even get a single point. It'll be humiliatin'."  
"Did you know them back in New York?" Alice asked, and when Nicaise laughed again Neil knew the answer that was about to come out of the boy's mouth.  
"They're the ones who taught me to play in the first place, Darlin'." He dropped the paper on the floor. "Old Reg was my foster father - Laurent's his nephew. He's got another one too, but Auguste was never... as fun to play with... as Laurent was." There was something in his tone that said there was more to that statement, but Neil couldn't break it down quickly enough. "He's the one what trained me. Raised us all on the sport like a fuckin' religion."  
Wymack swore, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
"Is he the one you told Andrew about?" Neil asked and Nicaise hummed, tilting his head. Even though his expression was cheerful, the warning in his eyes and body was clear.  
"Kinda. Your boyfriend was interested in the guy that Reg was trainin' us up for."  
"The one who's name started with K," Neil clarified and Nicaise nodded, making a ding-ding sound.  
"Amazin' work, Captain. Someone actually listens to his boyfriend. Impressive."  
"What position is Laurent?" Wymack asked.  
Nicaise's expression changed and he opened his mouth but hesitated before grinning. "Striker," he said. "And he's good enough to make Cap here look like a kindergartener swingin' a stick around."  
"How many times can he shoot against you in an hour?" Neil asked.  
"As many as he wants," Nicaise replied with a shrug. "At least ten."  
Neil groaned.  
"Neil barely got ten clear shots across two hours today," Henry said slowly and Nicaise pointed at him.  
"My point exactly. You're all toast."  
The whole room was silent as the reality of Nicaise's words sank in.  
"Well," Stephanie said. "I guess none of us will be getting much sleep since we'll all be in night practice."  
"Aw," Nicaise pouted. "I thought you were gonna say somethin' else there, Doll."  
"Will you shut up already?" Jack cut in and Nicaise gave him a faux innocent look.  
"What?"  
"Don't even fucking try and play innocent, you-"  
"Jack don't," Stephanie tried but Jack ignored her, his gaze focused on Nicaise, who was grinning back at him.  
"She's the one who started it," he said cheerfully. "Not my fau-"  
"Don't you dare say it's not your fault!" Jack was on his feet and Keith, Matthew and Ben were on him, holding him back from lunging at the smaller boy.  
"You're the one who fucked her-!"  
"Can you not let anythin' fuckin' go?" Nicaise yelled back, and Neil moved with him, his arm going in front of the boy in a warning - not close enough to touch, but enough to get his attention.  
"You stupid whore-!"  
"For fucks sake that's the best you've got-?"  
Jack made to lunge for him again and Ben tightened his grip on his arm.  
"She's my fucking girlfriend you filthy little gyp-!"  
"She made the first fuckin' move-!" Nicaise yelled back, leaning into Neil's barricading arm but not touching it or making any move to get past it, even though he could easily bat it out the way.  
"You still went along with it-!"  
"Just fuckin' get over it already, she doesn't even care that we-!"  
"That's your fucking excuse-?"  
"Who died and made you such a fuckin'-?"  
"Nicaise!" Everyone froze in place. "That's enough," Wymack barked, eyes like lasers. If looks could kill, Nicaise should have disintegrated there on the spot. Instead, he was starting to vibrate.  
Henry moved over, taking Nicaise by the scruff of his hair. "Time out, Omega," he muttered, leading the boy out the room and through the double doors to the hallway.  
Jack was rooted in place, and Neil watched him carefully. Everyone was watching him. Waiting.  
"Jack?" Ben asked quietly.  
Jack's expression didn't change and Neil looked over to where Robin was sitting in the corner of the sofa, watching the entire thing was a carefully bored expression.  
"Robin, get him out of here," he said and she stood up, taking Jack's hand and waiting for him to tighten his grip. "Take him out the main entrance," Neil said. "I'll stay with Nicaise."  
Robin nodded, leading Jack towards the tunnel that lead to the court. Once the pair were out of sight, Neil headed for the foyer doors and jogged up the hallway out of the stadium. Henry's car was pulling out of the lot, and Neil headed for his own to follow them.

...

Growling, Nicaise paced back and forth in front of the sofa while Henry sat watching him. Josten was in the kitchen but Nicaise couldn't pay attention to him.  
Distantly, he knew he was swearing, but he didn't know what he was saying. Was it even words? Or just sounds?  
Who the fuck did Coach think he was? Nicaise had almost fucking came untouched on the spot when the man had yelled at him.  
Fuck.  
And Jack- what the fuck was his problem? Nicaise had only fucked Stephanie because she had been an easy slut. Jack was the one dating her, and Nicaise probably wasn't the only guy she had cheated on him with. If he didn't want to be with a slut it was his problem for still dating her. If he wasn't going to break up with her, the least he could do was get over himself for fucks sake. The jackass acted like he was entitled to everything, like he owned everything, like he fucking deserved anything. He was so fucking white it should've been laughable.  
"Her name was Sheena."  
Nicaise paused, glancing over at Henry on the sofa.  
"What?"  
"You asked him who died for him to be like he is now," Henry continued. "I'm guessing you mean so controlling over Steph and who she sleeps with, so easily pissed off over you hooking up with her. She's his first relationship since Sheena."  
"His ex died and that turned him into a cunt?" Nicaise went back to pacing. "That's too fuckin' easy for him to use. People die all the time, so what?"  
"She killed herself." Henry's tone was tight and Nicaise froze. "Tore her own throat in half. The whole shower was a mess. Jack was the one who found her body."  
Nicaise tasted bile and briefly considered spitting it at the wall or the floor but forced himself to swallow instead.  
"They were dating in our freshman year," Henry went on. "She was a bitch but she was loyal as hell. He had major anger issues - if anyone looked at him wrong he'd beat them up. Always got into brawls during practice. Never respected anyone except her. Andrew took her to Eden's and Jack would've killed him for it if Andrew hadn't been Andrew. After she killed herself in sophomore year, he started seeing Bee. It's taken a while and he's still got a long way to go. But he cleaned his act up, took orders from Neil, respected him, stopped using people's triggers and pasts against them. He got his temper under control for the most part. Really turned himself around."  
Nicaise was still frozen, facing away from Henry.  
"When he and Steph got together in his junior year, he really started to grow. He's loyal as hell to her. She's a lot better for him than Sheena was - Steph expects things from him, holds him to a high enough standard that he wants to meet it for her. They go on breaks from each other every few months because Jack needs it. He knows she sleeps around during them, but usually it's with guys she never sees again. You obviously stuck around, and he can't deal with the competition. He knows she's loyal when they're on, but he sees you as something that could take her away and that would ruin him and everything he's managed to build."  
Slowly, Nicaise turned around to look at where Henry was sitting forward on the couch, elbows on knees as he watched Nicaise.  
"He's an asshole, straight and whiter than white. But it's an improvement on what he was, and he's working on himself. Most of the time he manages to keep the entitlement under wraps."  
Across the room, Josten was walking over with a large tray of pasta bake and three spoons. He sat down on one end of the sofa and gestured for Nicaise to sit in the middle.  
Swallowing, Nicaise did as told, taking the spoon handed to him.  
"Did Jack ever call you shit?" he asked after a mouthful and Henry laughed dryly.  
"Pretty much every slur you can think of for any Asian ever - not even just my country, he had to cover the whole continent to make sure he got at least one that was relevant to me."  
Nicaise rolled his eyes, taking another spoonful from the tray and passing it on to Henry, then back to Josten.  
"Though what he called you today-," Henry started and Nicaise shook his head as he swallowed.  
"I've been called worse. And he was wrong anyway."  
"Do you know which races your biological parents were?" Henry asked and Nicaise shrugged.  
"No. But even if one of them was Roma, I'm not - I wasn't raised as one, I don't know their language, I don't have their accent, I don't know shit about them. So I'm not goin' to call myself somethin' if I don't know shit about it."  
Henry nodded slowly in understanding.  
The topic changed and the pasta bake got demolished, but Nicaise could feel his skin crawling. Memories of his parents flashed behind his eyes - his mother's smile - his father's cologne - the fire - all that smoke - fuck, the flames had eaten up the sky -  
By the time Josten took the empty tray to the sink, Nicaise felt like screaming and trashing the place to try to get the crawling sensation to fuck off. He stood up and headed for the door, groaning lowly when Henry gripped his wrist.  
"You really think we're just going to let you go get high?" he asked as Nicaise turned to face him. "If you need something else to focus on we can go down to the court or the gym-"  
"Henry, let him go."  
They both looked over to where Josten was standing looking at Nicaise.  
"Neil-?"  
"He needs it," Josten said quietly and Nicaise gulped.  
Henry was staring at the redhead. "Letting him go get laid is like letting him shoot up on heroin," he hissed.  
"Kevin was an alcoholic and we all knew it but we still let him drink. He needed it. This isn't any different." He looked down at where Henry was still holding Nicaise's wrist.  
After a long pause, Henry let go and Nicaise hurried out the door. As soon as he shut it he heard Henry yell. Not bothering to stick around to listen to the argument, he hurried down the hall and into the stairwell, pulling his phone out and checking for updates for any parties or hook-ups, thumbing through his notifications as he went down the stairs.

...

It was pitch black out the window by the time Nicaise was sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling his boxers and jeans back on. Behind him, the girl was asleep, the blanket fit snuggly under her arm as she rolled over, her shoulder glinting slightly in the faint lights on the campus outside. He didn't know her name - Amy, or Emma, maybe. Something like that. Not that it mattered. She was hot and put out and that's all he needed to know.  
He pulled his shoes on, grabbing his tshirt as he stood up. Her roommates were nowhere to be seen when he went out her bedroom, still pulling his tshirt back on. The door was unlocked so he let himself out, shutting it quietly before heading down the hallway.  
Outside, the campus was deserted. When he checked his phone the screen said it was after 3am.  
He pulled up his messages, thumbing through until he found Andrew's number.  
'My foster father and brother transferred to the Ravens to get me and your boyfriend still thinks he can win against them.'  
Text sent, he put his phone away and wandered down the path. He didn't really pay attention to where he was going until he saw the shadow of a fence and realised his feet had taken him to the stadium. The lot was empty so night practice must have finished already.  
Still, Nicaise dialed in the code and got through the gate, heading over to the back door. He didn't have keys, and it hadn't been left unlocked. On the other hand, he couldnt be bothered going back to the Tower, so he sat down under the overhang and pulled his tshirt off, balling it up and laid down on the asphalt with it as a pillow.  
He was asleep before he'd even closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the formatting  
> and no I don't know why I'm updating more often right now but oh well


	9. Chapter Eight: Your Loss, Then

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicaise wakes up, Henry is worried, Nicaise had a load of wet dreams and flashbacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC
> 
> TW FOR:  
> Implied past sexual assault   
> Mentions / implied drug history  
> Discussed alcoholism  
> Discussed sex addiction   
> References to past sexual assault / abuse  
> Discussion of past teacher x student relationship  
> PTSD   
> Flashbacks   
> Graphic memories/ dreams of CSA  
> Implied child prostitution 
> 
> Let me know if you need anything else tagged
> 
> DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC

Groaning, Nicaise rolled over onto his back. He frowned when he realised he was lying on something soft and covered in paper rather than the ground. When he opened his eyes he saw he was in Winifield's nursing room at the stadium. Someone must have carried him in and put him on the bed at some point.  
Automatically, he checked his fly and waistbands, but neither seemed altered from where they had been when he had passed out.  
He looked around. Her kits were open, but nothing seemed to have been moved or was out of place. There was nothing in the sink or on the counter, and her chair was against the table oppisite the filing cabinet as always. The clock on the wall opposite him said it was twelve thirty, and he assumed that was afternoon rather than the dead hours of the morning.  
Sighing, he lay back down and stretched. The girl the night before had been enough to take the edge off and calm him down, but she hadn't gotten him as high as he'd wanted to be. He could already feel it beginning to wear off.  
Huffing to himself he got off the bed and started looking through the kits for some snacks. Or drugs. Whichever he could find first.  
The door shut behind him and he looked over his shoulder to see Winifield watching him.  
"Got any more chocolate bars, Doc?" he asked. After a beat the woman gestured to a different kit, and Nicaise went through it until he found a bar and looked back to her as he opened it. "Am I gettin' told to sit back on the bench?"  
"You already know you are," she sighed and Nicaise shrugged, hopping back onto the bed as Winifield pulled her chair over to in front of him.  
"How'd I get in here?" he asked as she sat down.  
"David brought you in when he found you just after six this morning," she said quietly. "What time did you pass out at?"  
"After four," he said around a bite of nougat. "Couldn't be bothered goin' all the way back to the Tower, and I didn't have anythin' to pick the lock with."  
Winifield frowned at him and he tilted his head. "Why the long face, Doc? It's not like it was cold. And I've had way worse nights on the street than that."  
"I really wish that surprised me at this point," she sighed. "You're going back to the dorm with Henry and you're both staying there for the rest of the day," she said. "You're not getting out of his sight. I already told him, Neil and Robin that your buddy system is going back to how it was during summer break."  
Nicaise shrugged, finishing the bar and taking the bottle of water Winifield handed him. He stayed on the bench for another half hour until there was a knock on the door and Henry's face appeared.  
"You said to pick Omega up?" he said in place of a greeting and Winifield gestured to Nicaise.  
"Make sure he eats and gets plenty of rest," was all she said before Nicaise was hopping off the bench and out the door, brushing against Henry's side as he went.  
The walk back to the Jeep was tense. To his credit, Henry managed to bite his tongue until he had started the engine up and Nicaise had his seatbelt on.  
"Do you have any idea what you're doing to yourself?" he snapped and Nicaise sighed. Apparently that was the wrong reaction. "No - don't fucking sigh. Or roll your eyes. Just- just don't. Alright? I can deal with you sleeping around for stress relief - I'd be a hypocrite if I said you couldn't do that. I can deal with you constantly being in heat. Fuck, I can deal with you getting into fights and being a brat. But I can't deal with you not giving enough of a fuck about yourself or your family to even fucking-"  
"I don't have a fuckin' family, Wang," Nicaise cut in. Henry looked at him like he'd just threatened to kick a puppy.  
"We're your family," he said, voice soft but his tone was firm. "The Foxes. The monsters. You haven't met half of that lot yet but you're Andrew's so you're one of them - they'll take you in, no questions asked. And you're a Fox so you're one of us, like it or not. I know most of us are still giving you a hard time but that's because none of us know how to deal with you being a sex addict. We're used to stopping each other shooting up or snorting stuff or drinking ourselves to death or cutting our arms to shreds. None of us know what to do with you yet. But we still care about you, kid. You're still our family."  
Nicaise stayed silent and Henry let out a breath. "When we came down for morning practice after the gym and saw you lying there on the steps, we all freaked out. Ben checked whether or not you were breathing for God's sake. I thought you'd gotten drugged or knocked out or something. Coach carried you in because we didn't know how you'd react to someone touching you in your sleep after you'd gotten high. Fuck - you scared us all so much, Nicaise. There was a point when I didn't actually expect you to wake up. That's why I asked Abby to let me know when you woke up because I had to see you awake for myself. I couldn't focus all morning, Omega. I was - fuck, I was so scared."  
Nicaise gulped, staring down at his lap.  
They sat in silence until Henry parked outside the Tower and killed the engine.  
"After you left last night, I had it out with Neil," he said softly. "He said this is no different than when Kevin drank himself to sleep to deal with stress and trauma after he left the Ravens. He said that like it was ok. But Kevin got himself sober - Andrew forced him to go cold turkey after he drank himself blind and passed out in the middle of the road. Almost got ran over. Andrew took him to the emergency room then went over to Wymack's and threw out every bottle of alcohol there, then did the same with their fridge, Kevin's room and Abby's house. He's not had a drop since that night."   
Nicaise looked over to see Henry still had his hands on the wheel in a white-knuckle grip and was staring straight ahead. "He said you wouldn't go that far because you're not an alcoholic or a druggie. He didn't think sex addiction could get that extreme - his only defense was that it won't kill you like pills, dust and drink could. But it is hurting you, Nicaise. It might not destroy your liver but it's still hurting your body. I looked it up," he added when Nicaise still didn't say anything. "It affects your brain the same way taking opiates and uppers at the same time would. It fucks up your brain chemistry and your body's reactions. And if it started before puberty, then it would've been just as bad as giving you crack every time."  
Nicaise didn't realise he had reacted until Henry had his hands up in a calming gesture and Nicaise felt himself glaring. Fuck. At least he hadn't gone dark. Small victories.  
"I'm not asking what happened, Omega," Henry sighed. "I'll never ask. Just like I'll never ask about the tattoos. That ball's always going to be in your park - it's your choice when or even if you ever want to tell me. And if that's never, then alright. But if you do want to tell me about any of it, I'll listen. Alright?"  
Nicaise licked his lips and nodded slightly. Henry sighed, leaning over and kissing Nicaise's forehead. "Don't scare me like that again, ok?"  
They got out the car and Nicaise followed Henry up the stairwell, flopping onto the sofa once they were in the dorm. He didn't argue or comment when Henry started getting food out. The man moved around the kitchen easily, handling the food like he'd been doing it for years.  
"Who taught you to cook?"  
Henry glanced over at him then back to the food.   
"My dad," he said as he started chopping stuff up and Nicaise tilted his head even though Henry couldn't see.  
"Does he cook a lot?"  
"He and my uncle own a restaurant," he said. "Cooking was the first thing he taught me."  
"So who fucked you over?" Nicaise asked and Henry shot him a confused glance over his shoulder. "You're a Fox," Nicaise added. "Somethin' had to have fucked you over else you wouldn't be here."  
Henry hummed, turning back to the food. "That would be my parents and siblings," he said after a pause. "Even though they call themselves modern, they're still stuck in their ways. I came out to them when I was twelve and life was hellish for the next few years. They even threatened to send me over to Japan so I would learn respect and get straightened out. Literally. It really fucked my head up." He sighed. "My coach and teachers noticed the change - in me and in how my siblings were treating me. Once I was in high school things just got worse since everyone else was dating and I couldn't bring anyone I liked home. I couldn't even have friends over. In sophomore year my coach started letting me train late, got me to help out around the school out of hours to keep me from being at home for a little while longer. He could really see how much I was struggling. Then he started inviting me over to his place after school, let me do my homework, had dinner with me, let me sleep there some nights when I couldn't face going home. He never asked but eventually I told him what was going on. After that, he let me train with him in the morning, took me to the gym for an actual workout before school started. It got to the point we were spending most of our time together."  
"When did you start sleepin' with him?"  
Henry laughed dryly and when he spoke Nicaise could hear the grin in his voice.  
"Saw that one coming, huh?"  
"Mile away," Nicaise sang and Henry shrugged one shoulder.   
"We started hooking up in my junior year, after I turned seventeen. But he made it clear from the start that he didn't expect it to go anywhere - he cared about me and was attracted to me, but there was nothing romantic in it for him. He still loved his wife, and wouldn't leave her. It was fine by me, so we went ahead with it all."  
"Was it him that made you realise you're a switch?" Nicaise asked and Henry shook his head.  
"I was interested in it back then, but didn't have the guts to ask to top him - he was the size of Wymack. No way was I getting a leg over him. I probably wouldn't have lasted five seconds anyway."  
"Did anyone find out?"  
"That we were hooking up?" Henry took a bite out if whatever he was cutting up before putting it in the frying pan. "Actually, no. In my senior year he helped me look at colleges and teams - that was when he suggested coming here. He set up a meeting with Wymack and the rest is history, I guess. I signed the contract with him at the end of that meeting and my coach was happy about it."  
Nicaise rested his chin on the back of the sofa. "Does Wymack know?"  
"Probably," Henry said lightly. "I swear he knows everything, somehow. But he's never asked and I never saw a good enough reason to tell him."  
He tipped the stuff in the frying pan out into two bowls and carried them over to the couch, handing one to Nicaise as he sat down.  
"Eat up, then you're getting a shower and going to bed for the rest of the day."  
Pouting, Nicaise looked at the food in the bowl but obediently started eating. He didn't know what the fuck it was but Henry was obviously a good cook.   
"Am I gettin' a time limit in the shower or are you comin' in with me?" he asked between bites and Henry tilted his head.   
"Both- five minutes, water on cold, and I'm keeping an eye on you to make sure you actually stay in the dorm this time."  
Nicaise rolled his eyes but didn't bother arguing. He knew a lost case when he saw one.  
After he finished the bowl, he went through to the bathroom with Henry on his tail. He didn't bother commenting as the guy leant against the bathroom wall, bowl still in hand. Instead he just stripped and got in the shower, turning it down to a cooler setting.   
"Cold, Nicaise," Henry sighed and Nicaise shook his head.  
"That's cold enough - I'm not puttin' it on ice."  
"Ni-"  
"I don't want a fuckin' headache or heart attack," he spat and Henry sighed but thankfully didn't argue about it. Stupid fucking asshole.  
He only tolerated the cold shower for a few minutes, just long enough to wash away the smell of the girl from the night before. As soon as he could he was turning the water off and stepping out. Henry held a towel out wordlessly and Nicaise grumbled about still being cold as he dried off. He dropped the towel on the floor after, walking out the room and across the hall to the bedroom. When Henry went over to his own bed, Nicaise quirked an eyebrow.  
"You not gonna come help me warm up?" he asked innocently and Henry gave him a knowing look.  
"You'll heat up fine on your own once you're dressed and under the covers."  
Nicaise pouted but got under his blanket, skipping the 'getting dressed' stage before looking over when Henry tutted. "What?"  
"Hands and arms outside, Omega," was all he said.  
"But they're cold too," he whined and Henry shook his head.  
"So roll on your side and tuck them under the pillow."  
Nicaise flipped him off but did as told. When he looked over, Henry was smiling faintly. "Get some sleep, Omega," he said quietly.   
Nicaise pouted but shut his eyes, snuggling into the pillow as he tried to get his mind to switch off. He could feel Henry still watching him. Apparently his cock had noticed too since it was trying to wake up.  
Grumbling under his breath, he tried to will himself to sleep before he could get hard.

...

"You're such a good pet."  
Nicaise groaned happily from his place on the floor with Reg's cock in his throat. Above him, the man sat in his armchair, legs spread and head tilted back against the cushioned red material.  
"Such a good pet," he repeated, one hand in Nicaise's hair, guiding his head up and down, the other around Nicaise's throat. Nicaise whined happily and the man's grip tightened in response. When he started cumming down Nicaise's throat the boy gulped, happily swallowing the white ropes.  
Moaning, Reg moved Nicaise off his cock, then lifted the boy up onto his lap. Without needing told, Nicaise started grinding against the man's thigh, whimpering softly as he felt his stomach tighten.   
"Please," he begged and Reg kissed his forehead.  
"Cum, pet."

-

"Laurent-"  
"No."  
"Laurent please-"  
"No."  
"Please-!"  
"Nicaise, no!"   
Nicaise wailed, but Laurent only watched with cold eyes. They had been making out in the kitchen but Nicaise had gotten to excited, and was now on the floor, grinding against the tiles. Laurent's eyes were like ice as the older boy took a few steps back and Nicaise kept crying. He knew he had to stop. He wasn't allowed to cum without Reg - neither of them were. Laurent always had an easier time with that command, though. The frosty bitch never even got it up without his uncle around.  
"Laurent- Laurent ple- please - I can't- it - ple-!" Nicaise's cries cut off as he keened, cumming in his pajama trousers.  
As his mind whited out, Laurent knelt down in front of him.  
"I'm goin' to be in so much fuckin' trouble now," he heard himself whisper, stilling when Laurent reached out and smoothed his fingers across the boy's cheeks, wiping tears away.  
"Then let's go get in trouble together," the older boy said and Nicaise smiled slightly, letting himself get picked up and put on his feet before Laurent took his hand and they walked through to the living room. Laurent sat on the sofa, letting Nicaise climb on top of him and get comfortable before he flipped the TV onto a cartoon for Nicaise.  
When Reg came home two hours later he found them both curled up on the cushions, Nicaise with fresh hickies down his neck and his pajamas ringing wet, while Laurent was still bone dry and uninterested in the boy cuddled up on his lap.  
"What have I told you about playing with my pet, dear nephew?" Reg asked and Nicaise shuddered while Laurent's gaze unfocused as he tuned out. They both knew what was coming next.

-

He pulled against the restraints but it was useless. Underneath him, the latex sheet crinkled as She crawled onto it at his feet. Her gloves trailed over his skin, making it crawl. He tried to scream, tried to tell Her to stop, but the gag in his mouth kept him practically silent. 

-

"How much for a night?" the man asked and Nicaise shrugged, leaning back against the lamppost with his hands in his pockets.  
"Depends what you want," he countered.  
"What do you do?" The man's voice was shaky and Nicaise shrugged, pushing his hands further into his pockets, making his jeans slide down further, the cool fall air biting against his skin since his fly was partially undone at the top. He wasn't even horny, and the guy wasn't his type, but still; it was getting too cold to spend nights outside, especially since it was starting to rain almost every night now.  
"Everything," he decided. 

..

The room was dimly lit when Nicaise woke up. Groaning, he rolled over, blinking when he saw Henry was still on his bed across the room. The only difference was he now had textbooks around him and his laptop.  
"How long was I asleep?" Nicaise asked as he started to yawn.  
"A few hours," the man murmured. "Josten's gone to fetch takeout."  
Nicaise hummed, groaning as he realised he was hard. He pushed himself to sit up, frowning when he realised there was already cum soaked into his sheets.  
"Seven or eight, by my count."   
He looked over at Henry's voice. "What?"  
"How many times you came in your sleep," the man supplied and Nicaise huffed out a breath. Henry glanced up at him. "You know you talk in your sleep, right?"  
Nicaise rolled his eyes as he got out of bed. "Hear anything fun?" he chirped as he walked across the hall, not bothering to be surprised when he heard Henry following.  
"Hardly," the man sighed and Nicaise shrugged as he made himself turn the shower on cold.  
"Your loss then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the formatting but just imagine the italics ok???


	10. Chapter nine: Stages and levels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicaise is back in withdrawal and spends some quality time with Wymack, before Neil gets his paws on him (but not in the way Nicaise would prefer)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW FOR:
> 
> Withdrawal   
> Graphic withdrawal  
> References to past abuse  
> References to CSA  
> PTSD from CSA  
> PTSD from childhood abuse 
> 
> I think that's it for this chapter

Gritting his teeth, Nicaise climbed out of Henry's Jeep. He ignored the look the guy gave him as they headed to the door, stuffing his hands in his pockets to hide the fact they were starting to shake again. Inside the stadium, the others filed down towards the foyer while Nicaise knocked on Winifield's door and let himself in.  
"What happened?" the woman asked as soon as she saw him and he rolled his eyes.  
"So little faith in me, Doc? That stings." He held up one of his hands for her to see the tremors. "Do I get to play or do I have to wait for this part to fuck off first?"  
She walked over to him and took his hand, turning it over to check his pulse, eyes on the clock above their heads. After thirty seconds she interlaced their fingers. "Squeeze my hand as hard as you can," she instructed. As he did so, the woman watched his arm before she did a few more quick strength tests. After the fourth she shook her head.  
"You're benched," she decided. "No playing until the shakes stop and you can stand up straight by yourself. That also means taking it easy at the gym."  
"What about Captain's oh-so-important night practice?" he asked and Winifield pressed her lips into thin line.  
"Only if Henry and Robin are there, and for no more than an hour. If your symptoms flare up, you're done for the night. Understand?"  
"Yes ma'am," he chirped and turned around, hearing her sigh again as he left the room.  
When he got to the foyer he hesitated. Jack was standing by the far wall, looking at the photos pinned up on it. Nicaise couldn't see his expression, but his body looked tired. Around them the room was empty, all the others divided into between changing rooms.  
He made his way over, stopping a foot or so away from the man, following his gaze to figure out which photos he was looking at. After a few seconds Nicaise saw it - a photo of Jack and a girl with her dyed hair in braids, her eyes almost as dark as her fake tan. Her teeth were perfect and glowing in the camera flash, her entire face caught in a grin or a laugh as she looked up at Jack who was laughing and grinning too, though his face was slightly blurred.  
"I'm sorry."  
Nicaise didn't realise the words had came from him until Jack bristled, turning to look at him with a confused and pissed off expression.  
"Henry told me about her - about what happened," Nicaise forced out, tilting his head to the wall. "I went too far the other day, with what I said. I didn't know."  
Jack swallowed, biting his tongue as he looked back to the wall. Nicaise took a breath, digging his fingers into his palms inside his hoodie pounch. "And I'm sorry about Steph. I shouldn't have fucked her."   
He bit his cheek when Jack turned to face him fully, looking surprised. "Why'd you do it?" he asked after a few seconds of stunned silence and Nicaise shrugged.  
"Because she made the first move and I needed to get high again since the last one had just about worn off."  
Jack took a breath, groaning slightly when he let it back out.  
"Alright," he grunted. After a beat, Nicaise started to walk away when Jack spoke again. "Wait. Are you going to try to fuck her again?"  
Nicaise shook his head. "I don't hook up with the same person twice unless I can get somethin' from them. She's not got anythin' I want."  
Jack let out a long breath and Nicaise headed through the doors leading to court. As predicted, Wymack was already in the outer ring, unlocking the door to the inner court. Nicaise was halfway down the stands by the time the man turned around and saw him. But he didn't say anything until Nicaise dropped onto a seat in the outer ring.  
Wymack looked at him for a few seconds. "Why the fuck aren't you changed and what the hell are you doing here?"  
"Doc benched me," Nicaise said with a shrug.   
"Why?"  
He held up one of his hands. "She said I'm not playin' til this fucks off."  
Wymack took one look at the tremors in Nicaise's arm and hand before nodding.   
"Alright. Off your ass - you're staying where I can see you."  
Sighing, Nicaise stood up and followed the man back to the tunnel. When they got in the foyer, Josten and Robin were already changed out and sitting on their couch.  
"Sit," the man grunted and Nicaise flopped onto the cushion between the pair, ignoring the look they both gave him. After a few minutes the rest of the team had trickled out of the changing rooms and found their way onto the rest of the furniture.   
Nicaise tuned out as Wymack began talking to the rest of the team. He knew he'd end up getting hard otherwise - he always did when the man was giving his gruff peptalks disguised as insults. It was just a Thing.  
He tuned back in when Wymack clicked his fingers in front of Nicaise's face. "Doe."  
"Present," he chirped  
"Good for you. Now move."  
Wymack turned and Nicaise followed him back up to Winifield's door. Apparently knocking wasn't required when the rest of the team were on court, as the man just pushed the door open. Winifield looked up from paperwork she was doing at the desk.  
"Explain," Wymack grunted, and Nicaise assumed the man was gesturing to him.  
The woman leant back in her chair, regarding Nicaise for a few seconds before speaking.  
"He has three levels - high, crash, withdrawal. His highs have three stages. First is the initial rush, which kicks in during or right after he doses up."  
Nicaise rolled his eyes, forcing a grin. "You could just say gettin' off," he commented, shrugging innocently when Winifield cut him a glare.  
"During that stage of his high," she continued. "Is when he's most unpredictable, dangerous, and has the most capacity for extreme violence. I wouldn't be surprised if he can experience mania in extreme cases, but Betsy would be better suited to explaining that part."  
Bloody memories swam behind Nicaise's eyes. "You mean if I've had a really good fuck," he bit out, hoping it sounded lighter than his tongue felt all of a sudden.  
"Robin's the only one who's dealt with him in that state, though I would assume he was still in it when he began afternoon practice on Monday - at least for the first half hour after he arrived back from his session with Betsy. Next comes the wave. This is when he's most relaxed, though it doesn't make him less prone to violence. His body will be relaxed, his mind will be settled and he will be able to focus. It'll be when he feels calmest, and when he thinks he's got the most control over himself. That's where he was when you had him analysing everyone on Friday afternoon."  
Wymack grunted and the woman continued. "Then it's the initial drop, which happens before the crash. That's when he'll get antsy, he'll snap at people, try to bait them into starting things. It's when he's most likely to go looking for another dose. I'd assume a drop had kicked in when he and Jack were arguing on Monday. His anxiety will go up, and so will his advances towards anyone he finds attractive."  
"You mean when I get horny," Nicaise added, leaning against the door frame and ignoring the look she gave him.  
"Next will be his crash. He'll be angry, upset, lashing out at everyone and everything. It's when he's most likely to relapse - his body knows it needs another dose, it'll be screaming at him because it's running low on the chemicals it's used to having when he's high. It's panicking because those chemicals aren't at the preferred levels anymore. Henry and Robin have both dealt with him in this state. And then comes withdrawal."  
She gestured to Nicaise. "He's in stage one of it right now, and I can't let him back on court until he's in stage four."  
"Is he going to puke like Minyard did?" Wymack asked and Winifield shook her head.  
"I shouldn't think so. Last time he went through this, stage one consisted of a short temper, shakes, jitters, and a lot of excess energy which quickly gave way to fatigue. But he could still function. Then stage two was intense muscle spasms and cramps, headaches, panic attacks, flashbacks, mood swings and nausea - though he never threw up. Stage three was extreme fatigue, a high temperature, fever dreams, and a complete loss of appetite."  
Wymack processed that. "How long does each stage last?" he asked after almost ten seconds.  
"I'm not sure," she admitted with a sigh and a frown as she looked at Nicaise. "Last time was his first time in full withdrawal - as far as I understand, he had never gone more than forty eight hours before that. Most of the time, withdrawal time-lines change from what they were initially. Last time, stage one lasted maybe two days, and by the end of the third day he was in stage two. But stage three had kicked in by the fourth day, and lasted the best part of a week. I don't know if it'll be the exact same this time around."  
Wymack grunted, but Nicaise's attention was drawn back to Winifield when she spoke to him.  
"You can't go back to classes either until you're in stage four, I'm afraid. But it would be good for you to get as much studying done as you can before the withdrawal completely takes over your system."  
Before Nicaise could answer, Wymack butted in. "You can sort all of that out with his professors?" he asked and Winifield nodded. "Then go keep an eye on those idiots until they're done. You, move." He gestured to Nicaise and the boy scampered after the man, following him up the hallway and out of the stadium.  
"Where're we goin'?" he asked after shutting the door of the man's car, not bothering to pull his seatbelt on as Wymack started the engine.  
"Back to the Tower," he said as if it were obvious. "And we're going up to the dorm, you're getting your stuff, and then you're staying in my office for the rest of the day while you catch up on all your shit."  
Nicaise pouted but it was apparently lost on the stoney faced man. Pity.  
The entirety of the car ride was spent with Nicaise trying not to whine or palm himself from how much the car reeked of the Coach - how stoic his expression was - how much bigger he was than Nicaise- how easily he could pin him helpless - how easily he could manhandle the boy around without breaking a sweat - how large his cock probably was - how hard and fast he could pound Nicaise into the back seat-  
His thoughts were cut off with the engine and he climbed out, whimpering softly when he realised he was half hard. Stuffing his hands in his front pockets, he caught up as Wymack got to the main security door. If the man noticed why Nicaise's hands were wrist-deep in his pockets and why the boy was moving slightly awkwardly, he didn't say anything. Nicaise wasn't sure if he was glad or put out by the man's silence on the matter - if he'd pointed it out or openly noticed, then the attention would have been enough to get Nicaise fully hard. Maybe Wymack knew that.  
They went up the stairwell, Wymack leading the way and holding the door open once they got to the third floor. When they got to the dorm, the man pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door, pushing it open and looking at Nicaise expectantly.  
"If you're not back out here in sixty seconds, I'm coming in to find you."  
"Is that a promise or a threat?" Nicaise asked as he walked past, ignoring the tired frown he got in return.  
He went through the dorm to his and Henry's room, grabbing his textbooks, workbooks, jotters and pens. When classes had started, he had unpacked his backpack so he could use it for classes - he had waited for Henry to be in the shower before taking the box out and hiding it in the back of his drawers, putting his clothes over it again just to be sure. It wasn't as secure as he would've liked it to be, considering what was in it, but it'd do.  
By the time he'd gotten his books into the backpack and was swinging it over his shoulder as he walked back through the dorm with his hands safely back in his front pockets, it had been fifty four seconds.   
"Fifty seven seconds," he chirped as he stopped in front of Wymack outside the dorm. "Does that mean I get an extra three seconds next time?"  
Wymack pulled the door shut in answer, muttering under his breath about smartasses as he locked it before he was leading Nicaise back out of the building and into the car. The drive back to the stadium was silent, with Nicaise keeping his backpack on his lap and desperately trying to ignore how hard he was getting. By the time Wymack parked and Nicaise got out, his cock was throbbing. He still stuffed his hands in his pockets as he followed Wymack across the lot, though it didn't do much to hide his boner. Still, Wymack didn't comment or acknowledge it, just lead Nicaise down to his office.  
"Park," he grunted once they were in the room, pointing at the chair sitting opposite his desk. Sighing, Nicaise dropped his backpack on the floor as he sat down, bending to take his books and papers out. When he looked up, Wymack was sitting down in the seat across from him, repositioning his keyboard and papers so Nicaise had more room to put his own stuff on.  
"Do you have any assignments due today?"  
"Fuck if I know," Nicaise muttered and Wymack groaned.  
"You're in those classes, you're meant to know if you have shit due for them."  
Nicaise only shrugged, flipping through one of his workbooks. "Due, overdue, who even cares."  
Wymack stared at him before leaning forward on the desk slightly, enough to put his hand over the paper so Nicaise was forced to glance up at him. "How long have you been behind on your classes?" His voice was soft- not mad or pissed off like Nicaise had expected. He didn't even sound disappointed.   
"Since the start," Nicaise admitted and Wymack sighed.  
"Why didn't you say anything? Kid, we can't help you if you don't ask us to."  
Nicaise shrugged again. "The last time anyone gave a fuck about my grades, I was twelve."  
"What changed?"  
Nicaise huffed a laugh out, flopping back in the chair as he looked at the man. "I got thrown back into the system," he said. "When you're goin' from house to house, no one checks if you're botherin' to go to class or not. If you're lucky, they don't care either way. The streets were usually a better option than some of those places, too. No one gives a fuck if a street kid is meant to be on school or not. And then juvie's idea of classes was a joke - do well in one, automatically get a free pass in the others as a reward."  
Wymack watched him for a few seconds and Nicaise knew the man was putting it all together in his mind.  
"Why did Reginald care about your classes?" If the man noticed Nicaise's cock twitching in his jeans at the mention of Reg, he didn't react.  
"I had to be able to keep up with Laurent and Gus - in everythin'." He didn't bother saying that he got punished if he didn't; Wymack was surely smart enough to pick that up by himself. Though Nicaise doubted the man would be able to guess the exact methods of punishment.  
They sat in silence, Nicaise trying to ignore how turned on he was getting, Wymack watching him carefully.   
"Which class are you most behind on?" he finally asked and Nicaise shrugged.  
"History, probably."  
Wymack smiled dryly. "Then start with that and I'll see how much I can help you with."  
Nicaise looked up at him, surprised, and the man gestured to the textbooks which were piled on the corner of his desk where Nicaise had put them. "Kevin Day might be the son of exy, but Kevin the history nerd is my son. I don't know how many times I've had to listen to him going on about it. It's your first year so chances are whatever you're meant to be studying is something he's already told me about a dozen times."  
Licking his lips, Nicaise got his history textbook, workbook and jotter out, flipping it open to where he had managed to get to, flipping through his notes while Wymack glanced through the workbook.   
The rest of the day was spent with them going through the three chapters Nicaise was meant to have read. He only realised how much time had passed when there was a knock on the door and the two of them looked over to see Henry coming in with Neil close behind, both of them looking freshly showered.  
"Abby said to fetch Omega on my way out," Henry said and Nicaise frowned, glancing at the essay he was finishing.  
"On your way out?" He looked around for a clock. "What fuckin' time is it?"  
"After six," Henry said. "Come on, I'm starving."  
As Nicaise started putting his books and notes away, Josten walked into the room, looking at him expectantly. Nicaise smirked.   
"What, too good to speak in front of me?" he mocked, ignoring the slightly mixed expression Josten gave in response. "Whatever you're waitin' to say, you may as well spit it out - not like the rest of us won't find out 'bout it at some point anyway."  
But Josten just frowned, folding his arms. Nicaise shrugged, picking his backpack up and heading for the door. He paused partway, glancing back at Wymack. "Thanks," he said before leaving with Henry, the door shutting behind them. "What's Cap wantin' to talk to Coach about that's so important?"  
"Probably the banquet," Henry said as they headed up the hallway. "We were all talking about it at lunch."  
"Banquet?"  
"It's a giant dinner between all of the teams in the district - almost like a truce or a show of good sportsmanship, I guess. The fall one is in two weeks, then the Christmas one is mid December."  
Nicaise's brain was stalling. "All of the teams?"  
"All of the ones in the southern district, yeah."  
"Including the Ravens?"  
Henry nodded, holding the door open for Nicaise. "Including the Ravens," he sighed. "Neil's probably making sure we're not getting put anywhere near them this -"   
He cut himself off and Nicaise realised too late he had whined. Loudly.  
Henry looked at him as they stood in the doorway. "Omega, the dinner is a few days after our match against them. According to you, they're going to hand us our asses on a silver platter. Do you really want to be sitting near them for a three course meal after that?"  
Nicaise shrugged, lowering his gaze and Henry sighed. They both knew who Nicaise really meant - who he was wanting to be sat near.  
But Henry didn't comment. Instead he just tilted his head towards the Jeep and lead Nicaise over to it, opening the door for him. "In you get, Omega," he murmured. "I'll make some soup when we get back to the dorm."

True to his word, Henry started heating some canned soup up when they were back in the dorm, Nicaise sitting on the counter since he wasn't allowed out of sight. Josten came in half an hour later, looking tired. He didn't say anything about whatever he and Wymack had been talking about and Nicaise didn't care enough to ask.  
The evening passed with him reluctantly finishing the history essay, which he gave to Henry to hand in to the tutor the next day on his behalf.   
By the time they were following Josten out the door at ten, Nicaise was partway through his chemistry workbook. Henry took him down to the Jeep while Josten fetched Robin. When they got to the stadium, Henry let them in and Nicaise followed him to the changing room. He grit his teeth as he got changed, trying to ignore how horny he was- how horny he'd been all day.  
Once they were both changed, he followed Henry to the gear cupboard to fetch the racquets and balls. He set his helmet and gear on the seats in the inner ring before following Henry onto the court.   
"Three laps," the man decided. "Then stretches. Neil should be hear by that point and we can start on warmup drills."  
Nicaise sighed but didn't bother arguing as he started jogging around the edge of the court, keeping pace with Henry. Part way through their second lap the door opened as Josten, Robin and Jack walked in.   
Henry looked between Nicaise and Jack. "Can you two be here at the same time without getting into a fight?"   
"Yeah," Jack said before Nicaise could open his mouth. "We're good."  
Henry gave them both a cautious look but let the issue drop as the others started their own sets of laps.  
It was almost another ten minutes before they had all finished stretching. Josten ran them through a few warm up scrimmages and drills. After he knocked Nicaise out the way for the third time and took another shot on goal, he called them to a stop.  
"Three times in half an hour," the redhead said, looking at Nicaise. "Why aren't you playing as well as you-?"  
"Phrasing," Henry groaned and Josten looked at him.   
"He shouldn't need kid gloves just because he's younger than us."  
"It's not about his age," Henry argued. "It's about what sets off his relapses."  
The two stared at each other and Nicaise bit back a whimper. He must have made some sort of noise though since Jack turned to look at him.   
"Neil, you take Henry," he decided. "Let me try against Nicaise."  
The others looked at him in surprise for a few beats before Josten gestured for them to go back to starting positions. When Jack ran at him, Nicaise blinked away the vision of Laurent in time to block him and push him back. They went back and forth, Jack trying to get past and Nicaise always one step ahead, twisting and pushing them both back, away from the goal. When Jack ran, Nicaise caught up easily, cutting him off. He blocked every catch the man tried to make, cut up every throw.  
They only stopped when Jack managed to get past him and shot the ball towards the goal. Robin deflected it and Josten caught it, pausing when Henry signalled for them to stop again.  
"Omega's only got another fifteen minutes here before he has to stop for the night," he said. "Can we go through some drills to ease him down a bit?"  
Josten nodded, moving his racquet to his other hand as he flexed his fingers.  
"Which ones do you want to go through?" he asked, turning to Nicaise.  
"I was thinking coyote ones," Henry cut in, shrugging when they all looked at him. "If we know at least some of their moves, we've got a better chance of not getting obliterated next week," he said.  
Josten looked back to Nicaise. "How much can you teach us?"   
"I don't know any striker or goalie shit," he said. "Reg only trained us for our own position - if we stepped out of line or tried to use other footwork, we got - got in trouble," he corrected, ignoring the sigh from Henry at the obvious slip-up. "I only know backliner stuff."  
Josten watched him for a few seconds before nodding. "Teach Henry whatever drills and warmups you can tonight," he decided.   
Nicaise walked over to Henry while Josten, Jack and Robin headed over to the other side of the court to do other Fox drills.  
Taking a breath, he started on basic footwork with Henry. There weren't any cones out, so it wasn't as good at it could have been. By the end of the fifteen minutes, he was rock hard and could feel his cock pulsing out pre-cum like it was getting fucking paid.  
"Omega, breathe."  
Henry's hand was in his hair and Nicaise knew he was hyperventilating but couldn't make himself stop.  
"Nicaise!"  
He yelped, jumping as his eyes snapped open. When had he closed them?  
At some point they had moved from the court and were now in the locker room. Nicaise was halfway undressed and Henry was in his boxers. It took a few more seconds for him to realise they were on the floor, Nicaise with his back against one of the lockers and Henry kneeling in front of him.  
"Breathe or you're going to pass out, Nicaise. Can you do that for me?"  
Nicaise tried - really fucking tried. He managed a few shallow breaths before he heard himself groan, resting his head back against the metal.  
"In and out, Omega," Henry murmured. "In and out, nice and slow."  
They stayed there for a while, Nicaise trying to breathe somewhat evenly and Henry kneeling over him. Eventually, Henry reached forward and started pulling Nicaise to stand up. "You still need showered, dried, dressed and back to the dorm before you pass out and have fever dreams," he said when Nicaise just gave him a confused expression. "And if you're going to have flashbacks I'd rather they happen in the dorm where I know we can get help easily. Come on." He gently tugged at Nicaise's arm, slowly pulling him up to standing and then leading him towards the showers.   
The water was freezing but Nicaise barely noticed. All he could focus on was Henry's hands gently moving over him, keeping them both under the stream at the same time. His fingers were careful but quick as he washed Nicaise's hair, gently pulling him in and kissing his forehead.   
"You're doing so good, Omega," Henry murmured, lips against Nicaise's temple. 'You're doing so good."  
By the time they got back to the dorm, Nicaise was dead on his feet. He curled up in bed, letting himself fall asleep with Henry's gaze warm on the back of his neck.


	11. Chapter 10: Game on

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The season kicks off and the Foxes play Breckenridge. Neil gives Nicaise a new perspective and Nicaise thinks about his past a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW FOR:  
> Withdrawal from sex addiction  
> Sex addiction  
> PTSD?  
> Drug references?  
> Mentions of Reg  
> Mentions of Laurent  
> Implied violence 
> 
> If you need anything else tagged let me know

"Why do they get a fuckin' hulk?"  
Neil glanced over at Nicaise's outburst to see the kid was staring at one of the sheets Wymack had passed out. He looked back to his own, flipping through to the lineup page, eyes instantly landing on the player he assumed Nicaise meant.  
The guy was easily over 200lbs and looked like he'd be more at home on a football team. His shoulders obliterated his neck and he was glaring out of the paper at anyone who looked at him.  
"Hey, Coach," Alice called. "Can we make sure Nicaise isn't in play at the same time as Klavins?"  
"Why?" Wymack sounded tired as he took the paper off of Alice to look for the player.  
Alice grinned over at Nicaise. "Cause if he is, the floor will need cleaned after."  
"Just cut the middle man out," Jake piped up. "Put some mop heads on the kid's shoes and he can clean as he goes. The place would be shiny new in no time."  
"Shiny but sticky as fuck," Trisha added.  
"Fuck all of you to hell," Nicaise muttered, flipping them all off.  
Wymack sighed, looking like he was regretting getting out of bed that morning.  
"When is Klavins playing?"  
"First half," Henry said. He, Keith and and Matthew were curled up on one of the beanbags and Nicaise was bent over the arm of the sofa to be closer to them, ignoring Robin's irritated muttering at being turned into a cushion again. It was almost routine for Nicaise to be sitting on or leaning against her whenever they were together now.  
"Doe, you're on in the second half," Wymack decided and Nicaise shrugged uncaringly.  
It still bothered Neil how little the kid seemed to care - about exy, about himself, about his health, about anything. He still wasn't sure why Andrew had decided to take him in. Something had happened when they had gone to Eden's, something that had made Andrew decide to protect him, something which had made Nicaise behave differently around him the morning after. It had almost seemed like a truce of sorts. Neil still wasn't sure what it was and he didn't want to push Andrew for an answer when he wasn't sure he would get one. While he knew Andrew wouldn't lie to him, he also knew Andrew wouldn't give away someone else's secrets or privacy. If he felt like telling Neil meant betraying Nicaise, he wouldn't tell Neil anything.  
As if on cue, Neil's phone vibrated. He opened up a message from Nicky which was a photo of him, Erik and their two cats all on the sofa. 'Go Foxes!' was the caption. A text from Jeremy came in a few seconds later. 'We're all round at your boyfriend's place to watch yous win - Thea made Andrew popcorn and Jean and Kevin have been talking French since we got here. Good luck tonight!'  
Smiling faintly, he replied to both of the messages before putting his phone down and looking around at his team. It was less than ten minutes until warmups so they were all in their home uniforms with the rest of their gear scattered around the room. The orange still looked as garish as it always did - and he realised Nicky had been right; all the orange had grown on him over the years. He knew this was his last year at Palmetto, but it hadn't really hit him until now that it was also his last year as captain of his Foxes. He smiled slightly at the term - his Foxes. A memory of Dan in his first year came back: how fierce she had been, how protective she was of her Foxes, all nine of them.  
Looking around at all eighteen of them in the room, he could understand.  
Nicaise caught his eye and he wondered briefly if he had looked at Dan the same way the kid was looking at him now. Some combination of curiosity and an almost cautious expectation.  
He looked away, only to catch Wymack looking at him. The man's eyes said he had been thinking something very similar to what Neil was thinking just then.  
"Foxes, line up!"  
Wymack nodded slightly as Neil turned to his team. They lined up in front of the door, Nicaise getting pushed into place by Robin as she went up the line to her own spot by Matthew.  
"I want six laps around our half of the court, and then three rounds of footwork and passing warmups. If any of you get the ball onto the other side of court, you're on training drills for the next week. Nicaise, you so much as stumble and you're benched for the whole match," he added, trying to ignore the sarcastic salute he got from the kid in response. Somehow it looked wrong coming from anyone but Andrew- and at the same time, it suited him. Neil wondered if Nicaise reminded Andrew of himself in some way, and that was why he had taken him the brat in so quickly.  
Putting that thought away for later, he made his way to the front of the lineup and lead his Foxes onto the court.  
The crowd roared and echoed as they came into view, but Neil knew the stands weren't even full yet. He lead the team on their laps, and saw Nicaise was keeping pace with Keith near the back.  
Twenty minutes later they were back in the foyer.  
"Robin, Henry, you're on in the second half," Neil said. "Henry, we'll try to switch you out at the same time as Nicaise so there's someone to check in with him while he's in play - no arguments," he said when Nicaise started to open his mouth. "You're not going on court without at least one of them."  
The kid pouted but didn't bother saying anything.  
"Keith, you're subbing for Jack. Trisha, you're mine. Nicola, you're on for the whole first half, then Robin will take the second half while Nicaise is on. Randle, you're subbing for both of them." He went through the rest of the team, deciding who would sub for who and when each player would be on court.  
"Defense line, I don't want any gaps. It's Breckenridge - we've won against them every other game we've played with them. Don't let that change now just because you think they're too easy. They're pissed off and on our turf so feel like they have something to prove. Don't let them. Offense, keep them busy, tire them out, make them get sloppy. Got it?"  
They all murmured their understanding and he gestured for them to line up.  
"One more thing," Wymack barked. "I know Josten doesn't give a fuck about carding, but I do - don't be an idiot and don't get red carded. Avoid yellow cards too. Bait them into getting them instead, but don't give more than you can take. If anyone gets a red card, you're benched for the next game."  
"Yes, Coach," they all echoed.  
Neil took a breath and went up to the front of the line. When he lead his Foxes onto the court, the crowd roared loud enough he felt it vibrating through him. They took their positions as the commentator called them out:  
Number three, striker Keith Harolds.  
Number four, defense dealer Stephanie Lamourn.  
Number five, offense dealer Alice Gates.  
Number six, backliner Jake Good.  
Number nine, backliner Jared Mack.  
Number ten, striker Neil Josten.  
Number eleven, backliner Ben Fordes.  
Number fourteen, defense dealer Wallace Knight.  
Number seventeen, goal keeper Nicola Penbras.  
Breckenridge's lineup was called out before the referee came on and gestured to the halfway point. Neil started forward at the same time as the other captain. When they met at the halfway mark, they shook hands.  
"Heads or tails?" the referee asked. It was a home game, so the call was Neil's.  
"Tails," he said and the referee tossed the coin. It landed with heads up, so the referee gestured for Breckenridge to get the ball as Neil went back to his position.  
He closed his eyes, letting his mind go blank. He forgot about it being his last year. He forgot about Kevin and the cousins not being there. He forgot about Nicaise and his addiction. He forgot about everything except the thrum that always ran through him when he was on court. All that mattered right now was the game.  
When he opened his eyes, the overhead timer was counting down from ten.  
Nine. Eight. Seven.  
Across the court, the dealer was bouncing the ball on the floor.  
Six. Five.  
He changed to throwing it up in the air.  
Four.  
He caught it.  
Three. Two.  
He adjusted his racquet.  
One.  
The buzzer sounded at the same time he threw the ball into play, and Neil lunged forward.  
Klavins met him head-on, which Neil was thankful for. The brute relied on his strength and size, so likely didn't have much agility or speed.  
Neil ran, catching the ball from Keith and counting his steps. Klavins chased after him. On his eighth step, Neil spun and threw the ball across the court before dodging out of the way of Klavins' bodycheck. The brute grunted and shouted after him but Neil was already running down the court. Training against Nicaise had made him faster, somehow, and he was halfway across the court within seconds.  
Less than a minute later, a buzzer sounded and he whipped around to see Breckenridge's goal glowing red. Keith error waved his racquet and Neil grinned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Klavins adjust his stance and knew he was about to get checked. Overhead, the telescreen was replaying Keith's goal, and the scoreboard read 1-0, Foxes favour.  
As Klavins ran towards him, Neil stayed still. A split second before impact, he dropped to the ground and Klavins went barrelling over him. By the time the hulk was getting himself onto his knees and looking around, Neil was on the other side of the court.

...

Nicaise groaned, barely managing not to rut against the seat. On court, Josten was clearly trying to tire the hulk out, getting him to beat himself up against the plexiglass and floor. Somehow he missed every single body check by a split second.  
"Fuck," Nicaise breathed when Josten scored the second goal for the Foxes.  
"Hold it, Omega," Henry murmured from his side. On his other side, Robin grunted in agreement.  
"Easy for you two to fuckin' say," he muttered, holding back another shudder when Klavins fell over Josten again and the redhead bolted off without so much as a twitch.  
"Wait it out, Omega," Henry said softly. "Just keep breathing and focus on something else until it passes."  
Nicaise groaned. It was going to be a long fucking game.

The first half of the game dragged on, with a brief interval after twenty minutes for the teams to reform and any subs to be traded. By the time the buzzer went for halftime, Nicaise felt like he was vibrating.  
They walked off into the tunnel with the rest of the team as the players filed off court. As soon as they were out of sight from the audience, Henry grabbed Nicaise's scruff and hauled him into the foyer. Nicaise yelped but Henry ignored it, pulling him into the locker room and then the showers.  
"Strip," he said, pushing Nicaise into a stall.  
"What the fu-"  
"We've got ten minutes, Nicaise. And you've been bouncing your leg for twice that long. You can't play in wet gear." He gestured at Nicaise to hand over his clothes. "So hurry up and strip."  
Grumbling under his breath, Nicaise started pulling his uniform and armour off, handing each item to Henry as he did.  
"You know," he said. "It'd be really, really great if you were makin' me strip so you could rail me real quick before I have to go play. But somehow I don't think that's what's happenin'."  
"No shit, Sherlock," Henry said dryly, putting the clothes and gear on the floor behind himself and turning to face Nicaise again. He'd already been half hard before the game had started, and fully hard within the first five minutes of play. His cock had been throbbing in his shorts for over half an hour. There was no way for him to hide the fact it was drooling pre-cum, even if he'd actually wanted to. Henry's almost involuntary downwards glance didn't help though, and Nicaise moaned when it jumped at the other guy's attention.  
When Henry looked back up to Nicaise's face, his eyes were teasing.  
"Don't scream," was all he said before turning the water on and Nicaise yelped at the feeling of ice running down his back.  
"Wang-!"  
"Get back under the water," Henry said and Nicaise realised he had automatically jumped away from the stream.  
"It's like fuckin' ice-!"  
"Don't make me push you." Henry's voice was firm and Nicaise whimpered but stepped back under the shower, gritting his teeth at the temperature.  
"Turn," Henry said after a minute or two and Nicaise bit his tongue but obediently turned around to face into the water. "Hands against the wall." The smirk in Henry's voice made it clear he knew exactly where Nicaise's mind was going with that instruction.  
"Fuck you," Nicaise muttered as he put his hands flat on the tiles in front of him.  
"If you say so," Henry hummed. "Stay there, no moving."  
Nicaise heard Henry's shoes on the slabs as the guy walked out of the shower area and disappeared into the changing room.  
A minute later, the water went off and Nicaise turned to see Henry holding out a towel.  
"Dry off and get dressed, Omega," he said quietly. Nicaise pouted but did as told.  
Five minutes later he followed Henry back to the foyer, where the others were sitting doing stretches on the floor or leaning against the walls and furniture guzzling water like oxygen.  
Wymack was standing watching playback on two of the screens but looked over when he heard the locker room door shut.  
"Is he actually able to play tonight?" he asked, pointing at Nicaise.  
"He's playing." Josten's voice answered before Henry could say a word.  
"Neil-"  
"I need him to play tonight or Abby will keep him benched until Wednesday. I need him in practice and at the gym all week, Coach."  
Wymack frowned and Josten walked over, red curls pushed out the way by that stupidly hot bandana. He stopped in front of Nicaise, reaching out and Nicaise whined as his chin was tilted up so he was looking Josten in the eye. There wasn't much of a height difference between them, but it was still enough.  
"Neil-" Henry warned but Josten ignored him, icy eyes boring into Nicaise.  
"Henry, Abby and Bee will probably try to kill me for saying this, but I need you on that court so I don't care. You can play in withdrawal- you've been playing in withdrawal every night this week, and you can last an hour each time. Now I just need you to last forty minutes. And if you need to be high to be at your best on the court, then get high."  
"What the fuck Neil-"  
"Get high on the game." He cut Henry off, gaze not once leaving Nicaise's. "Your highs work like a reward for dosing up - so use that system when you're playing. Playing at your best is dosing up. The crowd is the high. The other team getting past you is the crash."  
"Neil, I don't think that's the best-"  
"When was the last time you played competitively?"  
Henry made a frustrated sound when Josten cut him off again.  
"Middle school," Nicaise said quietly. Distantly he knew his voice broke on the second syllable, but he couldn't care enough about it to react. All he cared about were those icy eyes on his and the two fingers under his chin, keeping him looking up. Josten could feel every breath Nicaise took, every single one of his heartbeats.  
"We had matches against other schools."  
"How often did your team win?"  
"Seventy-six percent of the time."  
Out of the corner of his eye he saw Henry frown. After a beat he realised he probably shouldn't know that rate off the top of his head. But it was automatic - Laurent and Auguste had been amazing at math, so Reg had made it clear Nicaise had to be on par with them both. And he had used Exy as a lesson whenever he could. He'd drilled it into Nicaise to know the win-loss rates of every team his school went up against, along with the rates for whoever he and the others got put against in the pit-  
"What about in juvie?"  
Josten's question cut through Nicaise's thoughts and the memories blurred.  
"They didn't let us have real matches," he got out. "They tried to take the competition out to lower violence rates and in-fightin'."  
Josten processed that. "I've only seen a few of your taped practices from juvie, and that was at the start if our season. Go out there and give me a reason to watch your middle school matches."  
He moved his fingers away from Nicaise's chin and the boy gulped but nodded.  
"Anythin' you say, Captain."  
Neil nodded and then they were lining up to go back out. Everything blurred as Nicaise went through the tunnel and onto court. He took his place in line with Henry, Robin behind them in goal.  
Overhead, the commentator called out their names and positions, the telescreen lighting up with a photo of them and their jersey numbers.  
Number one, defense dealer Matthew Harlington.  
Number two, backliner Henry Wang.  
Number seven, striker Jack Smith.  
Number eight, backliner Hunter Jakobe.  
Number thirteen, goal keeper Robin Bishops.  
Number fifteen, defense dealer Harold Keral, now acting as offense dealer.  
Number sixteen, striker Trisha Ainsley.  
number eighteen, backliner Micheal Weckfield.  
Nicaise took a breath as the commentator paused.  
"And introducing the Foxes newest member, Number twelve, backliner Nicaise Doe."  
The crowd was cheering so loud he couldn't even call it screaming. It was just a cacophony of sound which melted into one solid vibration, shaking throughout the entire court.  
He tried to breathe. Tried to focus on Josten's orders; get high on the game.  
The crowd shook the whole stadium, and he couldn't imagine how loud it would have sounded without his helmet, and without the double plexiglass walls. Amazing, he guessed.  
He let the vibrations seep into him, let them course over and through his whole body.  
Get high on the game.  
When the buzzer sounded, he met his mark face-on. Within a few seconds it was clear the guy was nowhere near as good as Josten. Nicaise fended him away from goal easily, not even having to think. Every step the guy made, Nicaise was two ahead. He pushed them back, away from the Foxes goal, away from that entire side of the court. The guy tried to get around him but Nicaise blocked him. He tried to outrun him but Nicaise was faster. He tried to bodycheck him out the way but Nicaise swatted him away with their racquets, the vibrations from their sticks meeting over and over again singing through his arms and shoulders.  
In the first twenty minutes, his mark only managed to catch the ball twice. And Nicaise knocked it out of his stick both times. Meanwhile the Foxes scored three times.  
At the break, Henry knocked their sticks together. "Just do that again with the new guy," he said and Nicaise looked over to see Breckenridge was swapping his mark out for a new one. Typical.  
When play resumed, he realised the new striker was better than the last, but still not as good as Josten. He was a lot rougher though, and wider. Still, Nicaise fended him off easily, cutting him up and blocking every move he made. He was distantly aware of the rest of his team getting bodychecked and pushed over at every pass, but he couldn't focus on them. All that mattered was being better than his mark.  
The game ended 8-5, Foxes favour. The whole team came onto the court and Nicaise was dragged into a group hug. They lined up and shook the hands of the other team, before heading back down the tunnel. He noticed Josten, Trisha and Jack heading over to talk to the press, but he let Henry and Robin push him into the foyer.  
"You done so fucking good, Omega," Henry was saying. He was grinning and laughing, arms swung over Nicaise from behind. "So fucking good."  
His whole body was buzzing, the vibrations from the crowd still coursing through him with his blood, still making his skin feel on fire in the best way. Maybe Josten had been onto something.  
He stripped as quickly as he could and got in the shower, turning it down to cool. Distantly, he knew he was half-hard again, but he made himself ignore it long enough to get cleaned and dried before heading through to the changing room. It was only Ben and Keith in the locker room so Nicaise quickly pulled his boxers and sweatpants on before padding through to the bathroom to put his piercings back in.  
By the time he went back into the foyer, carrying his hoodie with him half of the team were changed out and sitting around on the furniture watching replays. Nicaise sat down on the sofa next to Robin, eyes darting between the screens. Two were playing living from the commentators booth where four suits were discussing the game. Another was streaming live with Josten, Jack and Trisha in the press area. Two more were covering replays.  
Wymack was standing off to the side of the foyer, watching the screens as the rest of the Foxes came out of the changing rooms.  
"What do you have to say about your newest backliner?" a reporter asked. "He's clearly quite the addition to the team. How did you find him?"  
"We got lucky when we recruited Nicaise," Josten said. "He's a good player and I think he can really grow with us."  
A few other reporters tried to ask about him but Josten dodged the questions.  
Five minutes later, the three of them walked into the foyer.  
"You three, hurry up," Wymack said. "I've got shit to say and you lot have an after party to get to."  
Nicaise gulped, leaning into Robin. She didn't say anything but she didn't move or push him away, so he took that how he wanted.  
Josten sat down on the sofa a few minutes later as Jack and Trisha settled across the room.  
"Right, listen up maggots."  
Wymack clapped his hands to get their attention as he turned the screens off, standing in front of them and looking at the team.  
"Tonight was a really good start to the season, and you did yourselves proud so you should all be fucking happy with yourself. Josten, you bit your tongue with the press so I better not hear shit from you for the next few days. Doe, that was a good debut and you should be proud of how you played tonight. All of you should be." He gestured to the door. "Now go celebrate and enjoy yourselves because you earned it. And someone keep a leash on Doe."  
They all hurried out the stadium, Henry pulling Nicaise along in a half headlock until they got in his jeep. Henry chatted the whole drive, not even shutting up when they got out of the Jeep and headed into the building, Nicaise following him down to the study hall in the basement. The Vixens were already there, along with people Nicaise recognised from the Tower. All of the sports seasons had kicked off on the same night, so all the athletes were celebrating after their first game night. Footballers and basketball players were milling around with their own cheer teams, but quickly welcomed the Foxes in when they saw them coming in. By the sounds of things, Palmetto had won every match that night.  
Within ten minutes the drinks were flowing and people were draping themselves on each other. After another twenty, he'd bitingly refused every drink offered to him. While Dobson hadn't told him not to get drunk, he knew he'd end up in a stall or dark corner or dorm room with someone if he had anything.  
Groaning quietly, he looked around. Music was blaring and everyone was laughing, grinning and talking to each other, shouting to be heard. Hands in his pockets, he made his way through the crowd, going unnoticed for the most part save for a few shoulder pats and back slaps.  
Eventually he spotted Neil by one if the far walls, eyes on his phone and a soft smile on his lips. Nicaise assumed the redhead was texting Andrew. He couldn't see Henry or Robin so he went over to Josten.  
"Can we go back to the dorm?" He had to yell even though Josten was right next to him.  
The redhead looked him up and down and Nicaise managed not to groan but something must have shown on his face.  
"Too much?" Josten asked and Nicaise could only nod. In answer Josten tilted his head towards the door as he put his phone away. "Come on then."  
Nicaise followed him out of the hall and into the corridor, sighing when it got quieter and the air didn't smell of sweat and alcohol.  
"You done good tonight," Josten said after a few minutes of silence and Nicaise glanced over at him. "If that's the first time you've played competitively in five years, you're going to be good enough to make Court if you work for it."  
Nicaise gulped. "That's what he said, too." At Josten's curious glance he continued. "Reg. When he trained us, he always said I would be good enough for Court. He made it clear that if we weren't good enough to make Court, we weren't good enough for him. After he put me back in the system I couldn't play anymore because no one pushed me remotely as hard as he did, and I got bored really fast. In juvie I only did it because I already knew how to play, but I didn't think I'd enjoy it again."  
"But you did."  
Nicaise nodded. "It wasn't anywhere close to what he put me through for it, and no one else was good enough to even come close to the level he'd trained me to, but it was still enough to make me realise I still wanted it."  
They were silent as they walked out into the car park. "What about the guy he said he was training you for?" Josten asked. "Was he something to do with Court?"  
Nicaise shrugged. "I guess so. The way Reg talked about him it was like he was some sort of boss - Reg did the trainin', then Mr. K would get us once we were good enough for him, and then we'd make Court. Or somethin' like that. He never really talked about the business side if thin's with me." That hadn't stopped Nicaise from going through the man's things though. It hadn't stopped him from understanding what he had read when he'd found the paperwork and blueprints and signatures.  
Josten looked thoughtful as they crossed the lot to his Lamborghini.  
"Did you ever meet him?"  
"Mr. K?" Nicaise asked. "Once." He laughed dryly as he slid into the passenger seat. "He came to see us play one time, in the pit. Reg was really excited. He met up with us after the game, said we had done really well and I was his favourite."  
"So why didn't you go to him?"  
"Shit happened and Reg put me back in the system when he decided I wasn't good enough after all." More like when he'd realised Nicaise had tried to ki-  
The engine purred and Nicaise blinked the memories away, forcing them back. Always forcing them back.  
They didn't speak on the way back to the Tower and the walk up the stairs was silent.  
"Henry should be up in ten minutes," Josten said once they were in the dorm. "You're staying in the living room until he's back to go through to bed."  
Nicaise shrugged, following Josten across the room. He hopped up on the table while Josten opened the window and leant against the wall, pulling his cigarettes and lighter out of his pockets. Nicaise forced himself to look away before he could see the lighter spark or the flame. He didn't look back while Josten held the cigarette by the window, apparently content to let it burn and just breathe in the smoke second hand.  
Henry got in less than five minutes later and tailed Nicaise into the bathroom then the bedroom.  
"Get some rest, Omega," he said quietly. "You deserve it."  
For once, Nicaise fell asleep within minutes of putting his head on the pillow. When he slept he dreamed of blood being eaten up by smoke and flames.


	12. Chapter Eleven: They would never hurt me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicaise has his weekly session with Bee, and they talk a few things over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC DARK FIC 
> 
> TW FOR:
> 
> PTSD  
> Abuse worship?  
> Incest implied  
> Implied CSA (heavy)  
> Implied childhood trauma (heavy)  
> Implied childhood abuse (heavy)  
> Idolisation of abusers?

"It's lovely to see you again, Nicaise."  
"Same time you, Shrinky-dink," he chirped as he got comfortable on the overstuffed sofa. "How come I didn't see you at the game on Friday?"  
She smiled at him. "I was watching from home. You played very well, might I add. How did you feel the game went?"  
He shrugged. "We won, so it went good."  
"Did you enjoy it?"  
"Sure," he said. "I mean it was easy, but it was still fun."  
"Easy?"  
"The strikers were weak as fuck," Nicaise sighed. "And they were slow. Keepin' them away from shootin' was easy."  
Dobson raised her eyebrows as she took a short note. "I heard from Abby that you were in withdrawal for the whole game, too. How did you feel playing in that state?"  
"Weird," Nicaise admitted after a beat. He went on before she could prod him to. "When I started trainin' with them, Doc said I was out of withdrawal, and it was just cravin's left. But I'm used to playin' high, always have been. So then relapsin' and still bein' allowed to play felt normal - playin' high and crashin' felt right. And then I was benched all last week cause of the shakes from withdrawal kickin' back in. So it felt weird."  
Dobson hummed, pen scratching as she wrote shit down.  
"Always?" she asked.   
Nicaise smirked, moving so he was laying on his back with his head on the arm of the sofa.  
"Yeah, always. I was high or crashin' the whole time I was in juvie. They couldn't exactly stop me bendin' over for whoever wanted me to."  
"What about before juvie? Did you play high then, too?"  
Nicaise grinned, tilting his head to look at her. "Sure. After matches at school I'd hook up with people."  
"How did your coach and teammates feel about that?"  
"They didn't care," Nicaise laughed. "Most of us were hookin' up or messin' around anyway."  
"And your foster family?" she asked. He felt his expression darken as his grin got sharper.   
"What about them?"  
"How did they feel about you hooking up after matches?"  
Nicaise shrugged, trying to ignore the flashes behind his eyes. He could just snap her neck in one easy-  
"They were chill with it."  
Dobson arched an eyebrow over her glasses at him. "Your foster father who raised you to commit to exy like it was a religion and who drilled you to be as good as your foster brothers, who were both older, faster and stronger than you, didn't have any issues with you sleeping around when you could have been studying or training?"  
She was good. He had to give her that.   
"Oh, Shrinky-dink," he chirped. "If there's somethin' specific you wanna know, just spit it out."  
"Did your foster father or brother groom you to be high when you got trained?"  
Nicaise grinned sharp enough it hurt his cheeks and he could feel his gaze getting darker way too fast. Fuck. Fuck fuck fu-  
"Why would I answer that?"  
"Because I think you want to tell me."  
"Do I?" he tilted his head.  
"Don't you?" she countered.  
He laughed. "If I answer that, you'll be required to tell The Powers of Exy That Be about it and then we're all fucked."  
"Why would I be required to tell them anything? Our sessions are private, Nicaise. The only reason I would raise an issue with anyone about what's said inside this room is if I think you're a danger to yourself, others or if something you discuss could lead to others being incriminated or harmed somehow."  
"Oh, that's a cute tactic," he said. "But it won't work. I'm not that dumb. We both know the answer about my childhood, so why bother tryin' to get me to say anythin' about it? We both already know what happened."  
The stupid bitch watched him for a few more seconds before taking a short note. By the time she had looked up he was off the sofa and across the room, hand on the door handle.  
"Nicaise, stay."  
He paused, glancing over when she kept talking. "Part of our agreement was that you would cooperate in these sessions. Remember?"  
Sighing loudly, he dropped his hand and turned, walking around the other side of the couch and flopping onto it. He didn't say anything, just raised a brow at her and waited.  
"How do you feel about the game this Friday?" she asked after a few minutes.  
He shrugged. "They're goin' to get licked and their asses handed to them."  
"Who are?"  
"The Foxes," Nicaise laughed. "The Coyotes are goin' to wipe the floor with them and not break a sweat."  
"You seem quite confident about that."  
"Because I am."  
"What makes you so sure your own team won't win?" she pushed and Nicaise scoffed.  
"I lived with Reg for four years, Shrinky-dink. I know how he works. I know how he works his players, how hard he drills us, how far he'll go. The Foxes don't stand a chance."  
"But it's not the Coyotes the Foxes will be playing - it's the Ravens."  
"Doesn't matter," Nicaise said, letting his legs fall open as he slid down until his head and shoulders were propped up on the arm rest. "He has them, they're his. And he won't settle for anythin' less than perfect. They're Edgar Allen's Ravens but he'll have made them into more of his Coyotes. He wouldn't have stuck around with them if they weren't good enough for him."  
Dobson hummed, pursing her lips as she tapped her pen three times against the pad.  
"You haven't seen Reginald or Laurent since you got reentered into the foster system," she started after a beat. "How are you feeling about seeing them again after so long?"  
"It'll be good."  
"What makes you say that?"  
Nicaise smirked. "Cause Laurent's hot - he was fit before, but he's hot now. And Reg has always been smokin'. So seein' them again will be good."  
"That's physically seeing them again," Dobson said. "What about emotionally? Do you think there will be any hard feelings?"  
"You're goin' to have to be more specific." The charm was fake even to his own ears.  
Dobson cut him a look. "Any negative feelings," she clarified. "Anything you're worried about which could happen from seeing them again? Possibly even speaking to Laurent on court - or from playing with him again."  
Playing with him again. Playing with Laurent had meant teasing him for hours while Reg had watched. Playing with Laurent had meant make out sessions on the couch. Playing with Laurent had meant begging. Playing with Laurent had meant being in the pit-  
"Against," Nicaise grit out. "Playin' against him. We're not on the same team, so we're not playin' together."  
He was hard. He knew he was hard. There was no way to hide it without drawing more attention to it. Dobson had probably already noticed. He was laying with his legs wide open a few feet from her, for fucks sake. There was no way she had missed how much his cock had twitched in his jeans when he'd been thinking of playing with Laurent. How much harder he'd gotten when he had started talking about the bastard. How his cock had already been trying to join in the conversation as soon as she brought Reg up.  
Dobson just nodded. "Do you think he'll want to see you again?"  
Nicaise licked his teeth, grinning sharply at her. "I know he will," he said. "They both will."  
"You seem sure about that."  
"I'm the only reason they transfered in the first place," he bit out. "They're not goin' to play and then walk off without talkin' to me."  
"How do you feel about that?"  
"Flattered."  
She tilted her head at him. "Flattered?"  
"Is there an echo in here?" Nicaise asked, sitting up and looking around for a few seconds before flopping back down and arching a brow at her. But the stupid bitch didn't so much as frown.  
"Why do you feel flattered?"  
Nicaise laughed. "Why wouldn't I? They transferred from their perfect Court-worthy team to a bullshit one, they moved across the country to one of the hottest states when they both loathe any form of heat, and for what? Because they found out I was in this one and they had to go up against me. They want me. To notice them, to want them, to admire them. It's the only reason they're here in the first place."  
"How do you think it will impact your sobriety?" Dobson asked without missing a beat. "Do you think you're going to be more at risk of relapsing when you know you're up against them?"  
"Nope," Nicaise lied. "I already know what's goin' to happen in that match. And I know they'll be talkin' to me after it. Then the bus ride back here will be full of the Foxes cryin' and sulkin' after losin' and gettin' their asses handed to them on a silver platter." He shrugged.  
"Do you think you're going to be safe?" When he just tilted his head, Dobson continued. "When you play against Laurent, will you be in any real danger?"  
"No chance. He won't bother hurtin' me - partly cause he knows he can wipe the floor with me cause I'm out of practice and nowhere near as good as I was last time I saw him. Mostly cause Reg won't let him. He's always wanted to keep me safe."  
"What about when you talk to them after? Will you still be safe then?"  
"Of course," Nicaise chirped, smirking at her. "They would never hurt me."


	13. Chapter Twelve: Actions and reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicaise gets back to the stadium after his session with Bee, but lashes out at Keith. Neil and Henry try to help him, but it would work better if they were all on the same page.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW FOR:
> 
> Violence   
> Mentions / descriptions of serious injuries  
> Mentions of blood  
> PTSD  
> CSA  
> Past abuse implied   
> Addiction   
> Sex addiction   
> Orgasm addiction   
> Withdrawal

The door slammed behind him as Nicaise stormed into the foyer. Robin was talking, but he ignored whatever she was saying. It wasn't important. He pushed the door to the changing room open and was across the floor before it had swung shut.   
Growling, he paced around the bench a few times before slamming his fist against one of the lockers.  
"Tough session with Bee?"  
Nicaise whirled at the voice, not even registering who it belonged to or what it had said. His fist connected with something solid, and he was getting spun around, lifted off the ground so he couldn't kick as his arms got pressed across his chest.  
"Easy, Doe. It's just me."  
It took another few seconds before his brain recognised Keith's voice. After a moment he let himself relax, and the arms put him back on the floor. Keith was watching him as Nicaise flexed his fingers, forced his muscles to relax, got his breathing down.  
"Do you need me to get Henry for you?"  
Nicaise scoffed. "Not unless you two are goin' to take turns with me over the bench."  
Keith sighed, leaning his shoulder against the wall and watching as Nicaise leant against his locker for a few seconds, breathing through his teeth before turning on his heel and heading for the door.  
"Where are you going? You need your gear on to go on court."  
"I'm not goin' on the fuckin' court."  
He pulled the door open but Keith pushed it close again, his arm in front of it and blocking Nicaise from opening it again.  
"Change out, and come down to practice," the guy said slowly. "Whatever you're feeling right now, whatever Betsy dragged up, use it on the court. Take it out on your mark."  
"Fuck off."  
Nicaise went to grab for the door again but Keith mover to standing in front of it, blocking the handle from Nicaise's reach.  
"Not happening." The man's voice was firm and easy and Nicaise laughed. He could feel how sharp his grin was, knew how dark his eyes probably were.   
"Move," he said.   
"No," Keith replied, holding his gaze.   
"Let me out," Nicaise said as he took a step back, then another, grinning up at Keith. "Or I'll make you."  
"No."  
"Wrong answer." 

...

Neil glanced over at the bang on the plexiglass, adjusting his racquet mid-swing so he didn't throw the ball as the door opened. Robin walked on court, helmet hooked in her elbow as she secured her hair up into some complicated bun-braid thing that Allison had taught her, with her racquet held awkwardly under her arm.  
"Where's the kid?" Neil asked. Usually when they got back from Nicaise's sessions the pair arrived on court together. This time it was just Robin.   
"Changing room," she grunted as she got within easy hearing range. "He's having a tantrum."  
"How bad?"   
She shrugged, pausing by Neil's arm. "Fuck if I know. Last I checked, strays with a history of sexual abuse are your area of speciality."  
Groaning, Neil gestured to Jack to take over practice as he jogged for the door. Robin's words got put away in his mind to go over and process later; it wasn't as if it was anything he didn't already suspect about Nicaise. Coach and Abby had deemed the Foxes capable of practicing without supervision, so neither were in the outer court or the stands.  
When Neil got to the foyer, both the door to the men's changing room and the double doors leading out to the corridor were swinging on their hinges. Picking the nearest one first, Neil pushed open the door to the changing room, freezing when he saw Keith on the floor.  
"How bad is it?" Neil asked.  
In response, Keith spat out a mouthful of blood as he pushed himself up onto his elbows.   
"He went out the stadium," he said instead of answering. "Probably heading for the car park. Go get him before he relapses."  
Not bothering to wait on Keith to tell him his injuries, Neil turned and bolted out of the foyer, up the corridor towards the stadium door which was sitting on its bolt. Clearly Nicaise had left in a hurry.  
On his way past, Neil leant in to the first aid room where Abby was at her desk. "Keith needs you in the changing room."   
He was gone before she could even look up, running through the stadium door and looking around. It took a few seconds for him to spot Nicaise across the lot, heading for the Lamborghini. Neil broke into a sprint, reaching the kid just as he reached for the door. He grabbed the boy's arm, yanking him back and spinning him around before slamming him back against the side of the car. There was a small pick in his hand, presumably for the car lock.  
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?"  
To his credit, the kid didn't even yelp at the manhandling or Neil yelling in hus face. Instead he glared and there was a darkness in his expression that could rival Andrew's. His grin was sharp as glass and made Andrew's manic one look friendly.  
The lack of blood or bruising on his face said Keith hadn't even gotten a swing in. When Neil had seen the man on the locker room floor, his nose had been broken, he'd lost at least one tooth, and his face had already been starting to bruise. And he hadn't so much as landed a single punch on Nicaise that entire fight. Nicaise could have easily knocked him out if he had aimed his punches slightly differently.  
As he stared down at the boy with his shark-like grin and deadly eyes, split knuckles on both hands as he reflexively gripped Neil's arm, Neil realised he already knew exactly why Andrew had taken him in.  
"Why did you beat Keith up?"  
Nicaise shrugged as if he wasn't pinned against the side of the car. "He wouldn't let me go. I had to."  
"He wouldn't let you go for you to get high, so you broke his nose?"  
Nicaise pouted, tilting his head. "Is that all I did? I could've sworn there was more... His ribs sounded funny after the sixth punch."  
Neil stared. Nicaise laughed.  
He tried to pull away but Neil tightened his grip on the boy's forearm.  
"Let go of me."  
Neil froze. Nicaise's tone was light and calm and Neil didn't buy it for a second. Even if he hadn't been living with Andrew for the last few years, he would've still recognised the warning that went with such a seemingly relaxed tone.  
When he looked at him, Nicaise simply blinked up at him. His eyes looked completely innocent at first glance, still that beautifully unreal mix of blues. But Neil could see the darkness underneath, the coldness, the lack of care about anything. Even his expression was alarmingly calm.  
If Neil said or did the wrong thing, Nicaise wouldn't hesitate in throwing the first punch. And Neil had the impression the kid would have a good shot at winning.  
Before he could decide how to react, the stadium door opened and closed behind them and Neil looked over. Nicaise took his distraction and pulled out of his grip. Neil caught his knee in time just before it slammed into his groin, and used the kid's momentum to spin and drop him onto the ground, grabbing his wrists as they came up to grab Neil's arms.  
"Timeout!"  
Henry's hands clamped over Neil's, prying them off of Nicaise and then hauled Nicaise to his feet before letting go. Instantly Nicaise tried to step around the man but Henry blocked him, then grabbed his shirt when he tried to turn to run.  
"Relax, Omega," Henry said patiently. "You don't have to practice today - coach cleared you for the rest of the day." He looked over to Neil. "He actually cleared all three of us, since this one needs joint custody according to the buddy system. But he wants to see you after you're changed out."   
Henry wrapped his arm around Nicaise's shoulders, his hand at the boy's nape. "I'll take this one back to the dorm and get some food on."  
"Alright," Neil sighed before Henry lead Nicaise towards his jeep and Neil went back across the lot and into the stadium.  
He changed out and showered as quickly as he could, roughly toweling off and pulling his clothes on before making his way up to Wymack's office. Sighing, he knocked on the door and let himself in when there was a grunt on the other side.  
Wymack didn't even look at him. "Sit," he grunted, and Neil sat on one of the chairs across from the desk.   
They were both silent for almost fifteen seconds before Neil broke it. "How bad did Keith get hurt?"  
"Abby's still checking him over, but he'll probably need a hospital."  
"Hospital?" Neil choked. "What did Nicaise do?"  
"Fractured his cheekbone, broke his nose, broke some ribs, jury's out on whether anything got punctured or torn. Something definitely went wrong with his left shoulder or elbow, though. Abby's saying dislocated is the best case scenario right now."  
Neil blinked. "Shit."  
Wymack let out a sharp breath, finally looking at him. "Exactly. He's lucky it was one of us, and not a random person who would press charges." The man sighed, running his hands down his face before looking back to Neil. "I know according to whatever deal you and your dingbat have, the kid is his. But legally, he's our responsibility until he hits eighteen which isn't going to be for over a month, still. Your name is on that custody form, Josten. So I'm only going to say this once - for all our sakes, put a fucking leash on him before he puts someone on a slab or ends up getting arrested."  
Neil had no idea how he was meant to do that. "Yes, Coach," he said anyway.  
Wymack looked back to his paperwork and Neil took that as his cue to leave. When he got to the door, Wymack spoke. "You got through to the twins, Josten. Get through to him, too."  
Nodding, Neil went out the room.

"What if I don't fuckin' want to?"  
He wasn't even at his dorm yet and he could hear Nicaise as clearly as if the boy was standing right next to him.   
"Did you ever fuckin' think of that? Did anyone?"  
Sighing, Neil unlocked the door, shutting it and standing there, watching as Nicaise screamed at the back of Henry's skull.   
"You want me to get better - Dobson wants me to get better - everyone fuckin' else wants me to get better! But what about me? None of you fuckin' think 'bout what I want - maybe I don't wanna get better! Maybe I don't even think there's anythin' to get better from in the first place!"  
Henry turned around, handing a bowl of granola and smoothie to Nicaise before glancing over at Neil, looking unphased by the teen's screaming fit. "How dead are we?"   
"Abby said Keith needs to go to the hospital - she was still checking him over when Wymack was done with me."  
Swearing, Henry rubbed his face. It was another few seconds before he took a deep breath and let it out slowly.  
"Omega, if you're done screaming for now, go sit on the couch and finish that smoothie bowl. Neil, stay with him while I get a shower. No matter what shit he says, don't rise to it because it'll only be for him to get off on. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone."  
As Henry went up the hall to the bathroom, Neil followed Nicaise to the sofa, gingerly perching on the arm as far from the boy as possible.  
They sat in silence for almost five whole minutes before Neil couldn't take it anymore. "Why did you do it?"  
Nicaise looked over at him, smirk sharp enough to cut. "Do what?" His tone said he knew exactly what Neil was talking about, so Neil didn't bother answering. Instead he just glared and the boy raised his brows in faux innocence. "Oh," he said. "Oh, you mean Keith?" He shrugged loosely. "I already told you, Captain. He wouldn't let me leave, and I had already asked politely."  
"He didn't let you have your own way, so you put him in the hospital and ruined any chance he had of playing for at least a few games, maybe even got him benched for the rest of the season?" Neil asked incredulously, clenching his jaw when the kid just blinked at him, cat like.   
"What did Bee say that set you off?" If being with Andrew for the last five years had taught him anything, it was that he had to either walk away from a situation entirely or he had to go in head first and not back out or slow down. Better to drown in the deep end rather than trip in the shallows.  
"Oh, Captain," Nicaise drawled, grin sharpening to a knife point. "We just had a misunderstandin', that's all."  
"About what?" Neil pressed, and Nicaise's smirk said he wasn't about to tell Neil anything so easily.  
"Life, love, death, family, hate, the point of existence, goals, whether a raven is like a writin' desk." Another shrug, this time with just one shoulder. "All the usual stuff."  
Neil frowned. "Family?" Nicaise froze for a split second before he laughed.  
"You're like a dog with a bone, aren't you," he remarked cheerfully.   
Neil wasn't phased. "Did she ask how you feel about seeing your foster father and brother this weekend, and next week?"  
He knew he was close when Nicaise dropped his spoon into his bowl, the metal clanking loudly against the ceramic. "What did she say about them?"   
Nicaise stood up, walking quickly to the kitchen and dropping his bowl in the sink.  
Before Neil can push any further, the bathroom door opens and Henry's footsteps come down the hall. When he gets to the doorway, his hair's still dropping and the shoulders of his tee are damp.  
"What happened?" he asked, looking between them before signing, his gaze softening as he looked at Nicaise. "Omega, breathe." He walked over to the boy, placing his hand around the boy's forearms which were taught as he gripped the edge of the sink. "Neil, what did you say to him?"  
"I asked him why he beat the shit out of Keith," Neil muttered. "And he said Bee said some shit so I guessed it was about his foste-"  
"Don't finish that sentence," Henry cut in harshly as Nicaise's whole frame shuddered. "Nicaise, come on," he said, voice much softer and gentler. "Let's go through to the other room, and you can do homework or have a nap. Alright?"  
Neil frowned, watching as Henry slowly eased Nicaise from his position against the sink, before putting his arm around the boy's back and encouraging him to walk towards the door. The pair went up the hall, and Neil stayed still until he heard the far bedroom door shut behind them before he let himself groan, flopping down on the sofa, his head swimming.  
What the fuck was he supposed to do with Nicaise when he couldn't even talk to him without triggering some sort of reaction? And why did he care so fucking much? He didn't even like the kid.

**Author's Note:**

> If you need anything else tagged, let me know either here or on Tumblr. This is gonna be a looonnggg series so buckle up.


End file.
